


Arendelle Gothic

by Rhaeluna



Category: Disney - All Media Types, Frozen (2013)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Demons, Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Anal Sex, Anna and Elsa actually talk through their issues together, Biting, Blow Jobs, Come Inflation, Dark Fantasy, Demon Sex, Demon!Elsa, Demons, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Falling In Love, Feral Behavior, Fluff and Angst, Foster Care, Horror, Illustrations, Lesbian Character, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mildly Dubious Consent, Mutual Pining, No Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Pseudo-Incest, Rough Sex, Size Difference, Size Kink, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans!Elsa, Underworld, demons hunting demons, foster daugther anna, fostermom!elsa, hans is a villain from the start, kinda of cannibalism, trans!Anna, transitions into
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-05-03 20:33:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 25
Words: 134,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14577093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhaeluna/pseuds/Rhaeluna
Summary: Anna is a foster system orphan who goes to live with the wealthy and eccentric Elsa Arendelle. It seems perfect: they're both trans, they're both nerds, and they get along great. The problem is that her new foster mom is Too Damn Hot, and also a literal demon.





	1. Anna I

Anna stepped over the manor threshold and set down her bags. It was a dark night, the clouds above invisible in the blackness. Heavy rain plummeted onto the rough pavement. A fine winter evening in Washington.

The mansion interior spread out before Anna in all directions like a castle. She’d been by this area a few times, just outside Seattle and near Lake Washington, but she’d never stayed long enough to remember the details with any clarity. It was walled off, not literally but metaphorically. Ritzy and clean. No place for a penniless foster kid. But now she was in the thick of it, swimming up to the doorstep, and it barely felt real. Lovingly rendered paintings hung on the walls, a glass chandelier draped from the ceiling. So much blue! Expensive blue and green carpets lined the floors down every hall, alternating between summer and winter designs. This was her new home? She was 16 years old and she’d never seen anything like it.

“Sorry if it’s a bit much,” said her new foster mother from behind her. Anna turned and looked up. She was gorgeous. Anna hadn’t been prepared for that. It made her heart flutter as much as it made her mildly uncomfortable. Elsa was tall with platinum blonde hair like a movie star, braided tresses lying at rest on one shoulder. Deep blue eyes with sometimes a hint of something else in them when Anna looked from the corner of her eye. Elsa rocked a white button up and figure fitting black slacks, her sleeves folded up to her elbows. Classic lesbian, Anna thought. And classic hot. She was hopeful about Elsa, even though they’d only just met. Maybe she wouldn’t be another link in Ann’s chain of foster system hell.

Anna nodded to Elsa in acknowledgement. She had a hard time meeting her eyes but saw clearly when the woman smiled at her. It was so genuine; it gave her hope when experience told her it shouldn’t.

Anna could see Elsa’s anxiety clearly. She barely tried to hide it. Worrying hands, creased brow. Desperate to make a good impression as she welcomed Anna into her home. Her caseworker told her that Elsa Arendelle was experienced: that she’d been through the foster system herself, and that she knew her way around queer issues.

At first Anna hadn’t believed her. Then she’d actually met Elsa and she began to understand, her suspicions piqued. 

“It’s so good to finally meet you. Welcome!” said Elsa. “Would you like some dinner?”

“Sure.” She tried to sound chipper but her voice cracked. Real cool. She hoped Elsa didn’t notice. Anna was a bundle of live wires as Elsa stepped around her, electric hope and fear bristling up and down her spine. She’d done this a few times but it never got less nerve wracking. New homes were hard.

“The kitchen’s this way,” said Elsa. She kicked off her heels and set them aside, shaking water off her hair as she strode towards the hallway leading left out of the foyer. “Don’t worry about your bags,” she said as Anna stumbled out of her rain boots, “Gerda will take them to your room.”

As they made their way down the hall Anna gaped at the dozens of framed photographs hanging from the walls. Some were in color, most were in black and white. All were faded save a few recent ones clearly taken with a digital camera. The pictures traveled through time. Anna saw a party of people in 1920s tuxedos and ball gowns attending an outdoor gala. They were laughing and holding hands. She lingered on forest landscapes and greyscale shots of what could only be fjords during winter. Scandinavia, maybe? Her eye followed a trail of photos depicting an ever expanding extended family, and gaped at the number of weddings and funerals she found for people who, just four or five portraits ago, were children.

As they reached the kitchen at the end of the hall Anna spotted what could only be Elsa’s baby photo. It made her smile. Elsa was cradled in the arms of her mother: a lithe, brown haired woman who looked so much like her daughter did now. Her father was smiling, face partially hidden behind a mustache. For most of the family members Anna found a visible sense of progression, of change over time. Elsa didn’t seem to though.

Elsa’s mother even had her own section: nestled in a basket on a family picnic in the 70s, dressed up in a little gown for a wedding during her childhood. Anna found her attending school, dancing at senior prom, and lounging in a hot rod with her future husband. Anna could see the manor in the background of many of them. 

Elsa had a baby photo. Then, disconnected from the historical display by several feet of wall, a series of newer portraits depicting her no younger than 25. Nothing in between. Elsa stood side by side with older kids of a variety of looks. Her old foster children, no doubt. In most she was smiling, and Anna found it beautiful.

When she was just 12, Anna’s parents died at sea. Dragged underwater in a tiny sailboat by a freak storm. She didn’t have other family. So into the system she stepped, tears marking the path she’d traveled. 

Her first foster family was okay to start. Mild and practiced. That was when she still had hope of being adopted. She’d squeezed her stuffed polar bear in her arms at night and watched the moon, yearning. Then, when puberty started making itself painfully known, Anna realized something was wrong. She was a girl. Why was her voice getting deeper? It didn’t take her long to find out, and she quickly realized she would never be wanted again.

Anna asked her caseworker for testosterone blockers and estrogen pills. A hard no. Hand waving, legal holdups. She ended that call in tears, betrayal hardening in her guts. She carried it like lead. 

When she asked her foster mother for the same thing, pain arced across her face. She was on the ground trembling, her foster mother’s hand outstretched above her. Her foster father shrugged when she met his eyes and left the kitchen to go watch TV. Anna departed soon after. 

She went behind her parents’ backs in her new home. She was done with the shit. Her life was already jagged shards of a mirror, why shouldn’t she get the puberty she wanted? She made friends who snuck her pills and it worked. It’s not like they were smuggling hard drugs. The pills themselves weren’t out of the ordinary, and both had uses cisgender folks wouldn’t think twice about. Anna made connections with kids who could help. Benefactors outside the system. She felt like the protagonist in a spy movie.

When she turned 13, Anna started HRT. She didn’t have a doctor. She didn’t have an adult who supported her or knew how to guide her. What she learned was from other kids in her situation trading knowledge with each other to create a network. Thanks god for the internet. As Anna let the estrogen pills dissolve under her tongue she felt the shipwreck that was her life lift just a smidge back out of the water. 

When her family eventually noticed she left before they could hit her. Their “son” was developing into a fine young woman, right on track with her peers. She ran away without a plan. Stupid. She hid behind the library, soaked through to the bone by torrents of rain. Shivers wracked her body. She had no money or food and night was approaching. What was she going to do? All her friends were miles away. Light slipped away behind the thunder clouds crashing above her. When her caseworker found her Anna was crying, sobs masked by the roar of the storm. She took Anna back to her foster parents. They didn’t hit her, but they did ask her to leave.

Anna drifted. Bounced between homes and families of varying levels of acceptance. She was transgender and sorely lacking a loving family or immediate support network. Darkness loomed in her heart like poison. When would it claim her? She took her meds when she could get them, abusing loopholes where they existed and working odd jobs in exchange for her hormones.

She never did anything super illegal, she thought, but volunteering at the old folks home just to swipe their estradiol pills was definitely in the grey. Good thing they never caught her.

Anna survived like that for nearly 2 years. She bled and sobbed, but she survived, tossed like a ragdoll between homes and parents and identities. And on a harsh, blustery winter day, she found herself on the doorstep of Arendelle manor. It was an improvement, she thought. Massive and tall like a castle with a blue roof and white walls. Anna watched the Uber disappear through the wooded estate and the thundering rain to the road beyond. The front door opened behind her.

“Trust me,” Anna remembered her caseworker saying, “this one will be better.” Anna didn’t trust her. She would never trust her. But when Anna met Elsa she started to understand what the vile old woman had meant. 

The lady who greeted her was gorgeous, that much was obvious. She was also tall, dressed like a lesbian, and speaking to her with a lower than average voice. Incredible. Anna’s Gaydar was pinging off the charts, not only screaming “QUEER,” but also “TRANS.” She couldn’t be sure, of course. She didn’t like to assume. All kinds of people could look all kinds of ways. But she couldn’t shake the feeling. Could her new foster mother be trans? Did she dare hope?

Elsa held open the kitchen door for Anna and smiled at her. Anna ducked through, blushing and unable to make eye contact. Trans or not trans, Elsa was hot as fuck and that was Not Good. How old was she? 26? 28?

The kitchen wasn’t crazy, much to Anna’s surprise. Nothing like the castle she’d come to expect. Homely, even. Wooden countertops, soft lighting, and fresh fruit gathered in baskets. Various tools were scattered about next to herbs growing in planters. Anna felt like she’d stepped into a witch’s hut. Elsa beckoned for her to sit at the bar separating the kitchen proper from the dining area and stepped around to examine a ledger covered in notes.

“Any requests?” Elsa asked. Anna shook her head as she settled into her seat at the bar. “Spaghetti, then.”

“That sounds good.”

Elsa smiled at her. All the kindness in her eyes, how did it get there? Anna’s gaze paused on her foster mother’s lips. She blinked.

“Was the trip alright?” asked Elsa. She set water to boil and Anna hoped her new mom didn’t notice the fire burning in her face, “sorry it was raining so hard.”

“Eh, I’m used to it. I like it, actually.”

“Good. Going to get a lot of it here.” Elsa chuckled at her own joke, hands reaching for ingredients. “I’m Elsa Arendelle, by the way, but you knew that. Sorry I didn’t say so earlier.”

“It’s okay.” Anna fidgeted, the question she wanted to ask burning through her tongue. Might as well go for it. “You’re trans too, right?” Elsa glanced at her. “I mean, I had no idea what you were like at all until I got here 20 minutes ago and I just. I don’t want to assume but you’re. Like. I’m trans and I’m getting trans vibes from you.” Anna hadn’t realized she was leaning over the bar counter until it prodded her in the stomach. She flushed bright red as Elsa giggled. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Elsa returned to her work, a satisfied hum in her throat. “Yes, I’m trans, and I’m also super gay.” She winked at Anna and Anna flushed like a firework. “I didn’t start transitioning until I got out of the system myself, but I knew for long before then.”

“Wow. That’s great!” Anna was giddy, unable to hide the grin reaching the corners of her face. “That’s amazing. I’d really like to hear the story someday, if that’s alright,” she said, sighing. “I never could’ve hoped for something like this.” She glanced at the table. “I’m really glad they paired me with you. Even if we’ve only spent 30 minutes together.”

“I am too,” said Elsa, “and of course I can tell you sometime.” She gazed into the distance, “it’s a story, alright.”

“Cool. Thank you. You’re, uh, beautiful, by the way.” Anna fidgeted. Elsa looked over at her, tinting pink. Oh god, please don’t take that the wrong way, hot foster mom. “I mean, you know, like, you look really confident in your body! And that’s good. And. Yeah!”

“Thank you, Anna,” said Elsa, “you too.” She returned to the boiling pot of noodles and simmering marinara sauce. 

Anna wanted to scream. Time to change the subject like a super depressed teen running from her problems.

“Um,” Anna began, “I don’t know how much you know about my transition history, but I’ve obviously been going behind the agency’s back to get my hormone meds. They sort of gave up trying to stop me a while ago. You’re not gonna stop me, right? Getting them without a prescription, I mean. I’m assuming not, but I need to ask.” She wrung her hands between her legs.

Elsa laughed. “Stop you? I’ll get them for you.” She turned to Anna and raised a finger to her lips, a grin on her face. “Just don’t tell your caseworker, okay?”

Anna beamed, relief filling her like air after nearly drowning. “She’ll never be the wiser,” she said, “thank you so, so much. I mean, you know how much this means to me, of course. I’m just. I wasn’t expecting such good things to happen today, is all.” She hadn’t been expecting such good things to happen ever. Anna glanced down. Tears fell to her jeans. The storm growled outside the window, torrents of water battering the roof.

Anna heard Elsa set a bowl of spaghetti in front of her. She looked up. Elsa was misty eyed and putting on her best smile. She hadn’t made herself a bowl.

“I’m sorry, now I’m crying too,” she said.

Anna sniffled and wiped her nose on her shirt. “It’s okay.”

“I want to reaffirm that I’m here for whatever you need. I mean it, Anna. No matter how short or how long we’re together. I will be your advocate. At school, with the agency. And no matter what, I won’t let anyone stop you from taking hormones.” Elsa smiled. “Okay? I got you. You’re my top priority. I’m filthy rich and I work nothing even remotely like a consistent schedule so please don’t be afraid to lean on me.” 

Anna watched Elsa’s brow furrow, her hands clench at her sides. She meant it, Anna realized. It was an odd feeling; she’d heard speeches like this before only to be met by betrayal. Parental love was conditional. She knew it as fact. Even if Elsa was trans, that wouldn’t change.

Would it? The part of Anna that’d given up on adults ever giving a damn about her felt warm, like it was waking up again.

Anna slid from her stool and rounded the bar. She threw her arms around her new foster mom, burying her face in Elsa’s chest, and let the tears come. Elsa hiccupped, chuckling between sniffles. She ran her fingers through Anna’s hair and wrapped the girl up tight in her arms. Anna was getting Elsa’s shirt wet. In any other context she might have made a joke.

“Thank you,” Anna said from within the hug.

“You’re welcome.”

Together, they listened to the rain.


	2. Elsa I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished writing this and then realized I'd written Frozen Twilight oops  
> I swear the reason it's in Seattle is because I lived there, honest

Elsa splashed through downtown amidst the storm, umbrella in hand. Huge, heavy droplets blanketed the hilly streets and forced even the most resilient natives still outdoors into cover. They watched the dark sky like it would consume them, eyes glassed over. Elsa tried not to pay them any mind. Her social anxiety was easier to deal with when she ignored everyone. She walked in a cheap pair of Goodwill sneakers she bought the last time she was out. Nothing she’d miss when she had to ditch them.

Elsa needed to eat. Even if it meant leaving the house while light remained in the sky she’d have to fill up before going to work. She hadn’t been out since Anna arrived a week prior and she was famished. Not that she’d gone out very much before her new charge arrived. Elsa’s social life wasn’t that exciting. 

She wondered if Anna would ever realize she didn’t actually need to eat people food. It was lucky Elsa loved the taste of human food so it hadn’t been an issue in the past. Cooking was recreational and tasty! Her old kids were oblivious, of course but Anna might be different. 

She was a Problem, a hiccup Elsa hadn’t expected. There was a tension between them that was catching Elsa off guard. Sexual tension, she acknowledged. She winced. It was harder to maintain her human form when she was burning with embarrassment, dreading her next confrontation with her foster child. 

Even calling Anna her “child” had quickly fallen into uncomfortable territory. Seven days together and they certainly didn’t act like a parent and child. More like sisters, if anything, but even that made Elsa feel wretched. She stuck with “charge,” or “ward,” and hoped Anna didn’t notice. 

Elsa focused on the smell of rain, the sound of wind and ocean beyond the buildings. She still hadn’t been brave enough to talk to Anna about that first night she arrived yet. One week in and she was already fucking up again.

The evening didn’t start out problematic. Elsa and Anna ended up on the couch watching a movie after Anna devoured half the pot of spaghetti. It was about crime lesbians driving to Mexico. Twink Brad Pitt was in it, which was great, but Elsa swore she spent half the runtime just watching Anna.

“I just want to run my fingers through her hair,” Anna said, gesticulating at the screen. Elsa giggled and popped another piece of chocolate in her mouth.

“She’s really pretty,” Elsa agreed, “what’s her name again?”

“Geena Davis,” said Anna. She leaned over to Elsa and swiped another milk chocolate. 

“What else has she been in?”

“Dunno,” Anna said. She ate her chocolate and reached for another. Elsa would need to keep her sweets under lock and key from now on. “But don’t you mean what ELSA has she been in?”

“Oh my god.” Elsa fell back into the couch. She’d been noticing herself thinking of Anna as “cute,” all evening, but hadn’t paid it any mind. But puns? Too much. Why was her chest warm? 

Anna took another chocolate and Elsa glared at her. Anna snickered. “Possessive, much?”

“We’re running out.”

“You’re rich.”

“But we’d have to go out and get more.”

“We could take a car trip. Bet you have some nice ones.”

Elsa huffed. “Don’t make me come over there and tickle you,” she said, regretting it immediately. She tried to play off the comment with a laugh, but the brilliant color of Anna’s face told her she was too late. That was way out of line. They’d literally just met! Where had that even come from? “Sorry,” Elsa said.

“Uh, about the being rich,” said Anna, unable to meet Elsa’s eyes, “how, exactly? You were in the foster system, where did all the money come from?”

Thankful for the topic change, Elsa jumped into her rehearsed speech.

“My family was old money,” Elsa said, “I spent my childhood in and around this house. But then, when I was around 10, a feud broke out amongst my extended family. It was right after my great grandmother passed. It got heated.” She gauged Anna’s reaction and was pleased to find her attentive. “Everyone turned on each other. My parents started doing drugs. Without anyone to actually take care of me I ended up in the foster system, but by the time it was all over most of my family wasn’t around anymore, and I was next in line.” Elsa smiled at her charge, doing her best to hide her shaking hands. It wasn’t really a lie. Not all of it.

“I’m so sorry, Elsa,” Anna said. The girl scooted closer on the couch and laid a hand on Elsa’s wrist. “I know what it’s like to lose your while family all at once. We could talk about it sometime, maybe? It might help you, too.” Elsa watched Anna speak, her teal eyes full of understanding, and felt her heart leave her chest when it clicked.

It was then that the Problems began and Elsa realized how Anna made her feel. You’re despicable, Elsa told herself. Unnerved, she thanked Anna for her offer and excused herself to bed. 

She felt like a frost giant had lifted her up in one hand and shook her violently enough to dislodge her bones. Rattled, others might say in less words. Elsa crashed onto her bed, a big four-posted wooden frame that belonged to her grandmother. Her room, usually so calming with its many large plants, thick books, and drawings hung on the walls, did nothing to sooth her. The rain battered her window like nails on concrete. Elsa didn’t bother to turn the light on.

She hadn’t though any of her previous charges cute. How could she when she was their surrogate parent? Something went wrong, why did she want to fuck this one? Was she screwed in the head for being attracted to Anna? What was different about her? Elsa buried her head in her pillow and groaned.

She tried to convince her anxious heart it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t! So long as she never acted on it. She was the queen of restraint, of course it wouldn’t be a problem! Elsa’s heart didn’t believe her mind.

The situation became Very Problematic Indeed after Elsa wore herself out stressing and tried to sleep. She was tipping over into unconsciousness when she heard her bedroom door open. Elsa snapped alert and listened. Quiet steps approached over the hammer of rain. She was about to turn around when Anna slid in under the covers behind her and pulled her close, wrapping her warm arms tight around Elsa’s middle. Elsa froze. Panic took her like fire to a dry forest. What was Anna doing? Did she even know Elsa was still awake? Elsa could chastise her, she supposed, call Anna out in her moment of weakness and ask her what the fuck she was doing.

Anna sniffled, and Elsa had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from comforting her. She wouldn’t throw her out, but she couldn’t acknowledge her either. Elsa hadn’t been prepared for her new object of lust to spoon her on their first night of acquaintance. If you just wanted to snuggle, Anna, why did you ask?! Because it’s hard, she answered herself. The only option Elsa’s hammering rabbit heart could accept was pretending to be asleep and ignoring it. If she had been in heat, or even close to it…

Anna was out fast. Elsa spent the whole night running her mind in circles, unable come to any conclusions. Was this illegal? They weren’t doing anything sexual. Why was she sexualizing cuddling with her new charge? Don’t answer that. It definitely felt like she was breaking the law. I wasn’t doing anything officer, my new foster daughter just decided to canoodle me when she thought I was sleeping. Which I totally, definitely was, by the way. Asleep.

Did Elsa just need to have a conversation with Anna about boundaries? This could be a simple miscommunication, duh. One she was blowing horribly out of proportion. Unless Anna really was making some kind of move? Elsa couldn’t tell if her charge was attracted to her or just uncomfortable with the new change.

No, obviously her 16-year-old foster daughter didn’t want her sexually, that was crazy. Elsa couldn’t want her back. It was wrong. She was on the cusp of turning 27, more than a decade the girl’s senior. How wildly inappropriate, she yelled at her mind. Stop that! Stop! Bad libido!

At the break of dawn Elsa slipped from Anna’s arms and fled out the front door into the rain in her running shoes. It took her three hours of sprinting in circles around the neighborhood before she could come home.

When Elsa returned to the manor that Sunday morning she dived into the kitchen and began cooking. She wanted to surprise Anna with a hearty breakfast of eggs, sausage, and pancakes. Show her she cared. Elsa sang to herself, old melodies from her childhood. When Anna entered the kitchen later she was red in the face and fidgeting.

“Um,” she began.

“Hey, you,” Elsa said, “I made breakfast. You like the classics?”

Anna blinked and nodded, hiding her hands behind her back. “That sounds lovely.”

“About last night, we’ll talk about it later, okay?” Elsa served her a plate of food and dished herself the rest of the sausages. Anna stared at it.

“Are you mad?” Anna asked.

“No. I just need some time to think. Is that alright?” Elsa felt her nerves in her legs, shaking her on her feet.

Anna grinned. Gorgeous, Elsa thought, unable to hide her slight blush. “Yeah, that’s cool.”

“Wonderful.” They shared an embarrassed smile.

“Weird, though, right?” Anna said.

“Yes.”

After breakfast Elsa showed Anna the Metro and school bus stops before gifting her a loaded bus pass and a cell phone. Anna fumbled in thanks and ended up dropping both. Elsa gave her a tour of the grounds, pointing out the old gardens and the newer structures her grandmother installed. Anna loved the statues. She couldn’t blame her; they were all mythical creatures and witches doing battle with devils and the like. Grandma had a great sense of humor. 

Elsa told Anna the stories of her previous foster kids, Belle and Milo and Tiana and Ariel, though refrained from referring to them as her children. She missed them all, truly. She was proud to have helped them through a tough time and reunited them with their parents. Looking back at them and then to Anna, Elsa felt her dread return.

Around midafternoon Anna retired to her room. She had a dinky old netbook, she said, and wanted to Skype her friends. Elsa made a note to get her a new one of those. After Anna ascended the stairs Elsa dashed for her own room on the second floor and locked the bolt behind her. 

Her clothes dropped to the ground. She threw herself at her bed, clenching sheets tight between her teeth to keep herself quiet. Elsa thought herself the worse person alive as she slid her hands up her length. She squeezed herself, stroking her cock as she writhed atop her white bed sheets.

She didn’t think of Anna. She couldn’t. The fact that she was fucking herself at all right then might have been influenced by Anna. Maybe. But she refused to let her mind wander to the girl while in the throes of pleasure. She fixed on a ship captain she’d met once. A tall, powerful woman with thighs that could crush rock. Elsa imagined her on top of her, fucking her in the shadowy lower quarters of her ship. The captain choked Elsa as she thrust herself on her cock. Wonderful memories. Elsa remembered the touch, the claw marks on her back afterwards. She recalled the smell of sea and sex accenting one another like complimentary colors. Elsa sighed as she came, tension flooding from her muscles. She rubbed her slick on her tummy and watched her cock twitch. 

She was in trouble, Elsa thought. Her high faded. She clawed at the sweaty bedsheets, her gaze lolling to the darkened window. What would she do when her heat cycle started, send Anna with Gerda to hide in Vancouver? Maybe the San Juans? Across of a body of water, preferably. Somewhere Elsa couldn’t easily get to if she happened to escape the mansion basement. Heat-Elsa could be so tricky to plan around. 

She didn’t have answers. Elsa grimaced, the downtown skyscrapers looming around her like monolithic tombstones. They disappeared into the clouds above, piercing them to let the rain fall free. The leafless winter trees planted along the sidewalks reached up from the ground like great, skeletal hands trying to claw their way back home. Elsa hoped the lust would vanish in the seven days since Anna moved in. It hadn’t.

They needed to talk. She’d been putting it off, all too easy now that Anna was at school during the day. She hadn’t been avoiding her. Really. Talking was hard. She knew Anna was waiting for her to bring it up and Elsa felt she’d failed for not addressing it right there in the moment, much less after a whole week. 

Why, oh why, did she have to catch lust for her new foster daughter? And to have it be so strong? She never caught lust outside of heats. The rain was letting up around her, but barely. She walked through the dark on empty streets.

Lost in her thoughts, Elsa’s feet carried her reliably to her destination. The building rose above her like an inverted mass grave. She left the manor that afternoon, and, walking the whole way, arrived at the hospital in the pitch of night. Her second sight carried her there unconsciously, drawing her towards lives just minutes, seconds away from ending. Elsa closed her eyes and felt the warm tug of waning life gliding off the hospital patients like steam off hot pavement. 

Elsa picked her target. A patient 8 stories up in the long-term care ward. Moments remaining. The human’s life sang to her. Sensing that she was alone, Elsa shrugged and let her human form give way to what lie underneath. She cracked her knuckles.

Elsa sprang up into the air, her shoes left behind. The ground fell under her. She hit the side of the hospital and clung, digging her talons into the sturdy concrete. Hand over foot Elsa scaled the wall to her target’s window.

The glass slid open, already unlocked. She flipped through the opening and landed in a crouch, resting her weight on the balls of her feet. Elsa was in the hospital room.

An old woman lay before her on a cot, wires and machines hooked up to her like kitchen appliances into a socket. Her breath was faint. Elsa couldn’t actually predict when people would die, or tell how much time most had left. She wasn’t that powerful. Human lives could change quickly, ending fast or becoming prolonged, all of which Elsa could see as easily as humans see grass. On the cusp of passing, though, it was different. The lights faded around people enough that she knew they wouldn’t bounce back. That close to the abyss there was no stalling. Only the fall.

“Lie in peace,” Elsa said to the hospital patient.

To her surprise, the woman opened her eyes and looked up at her. The dying human saw a tall, blue skinned woman with curved white horns erupting from her forehead. Long, loose white hair draped over Elsa’s simple grey dress. Her mouth was like a blender of faceted knives. A long, serpentine tail tipped with fur whipped behind her where she stood, her feet large and cat-like. Extended from hands and feet were talons. The dying woman stared into Elsa’s glowing blue eyes as her life gave way.

“Are you a devil?” Asked the woman.

“Sort of,” Elsa said, “What’s important is that you’re about to die. Is there anything you need to say before you pass?”

“No. Please make it quick, demon, I don’t want to suffer.”

Elsa gave her a look. “I’m not going to kill you,” she said.

“Oh,” said the woman, and then she was dead. With her second sight, Elsa saw her glow vanish.

“Why do they always think I’m going to murder them?” she said to herself. “Rhetorical question, but still.”

Elsa closed her eyes and muttered a prayer. She didn’t know whom she was praying to, or what, just that she didn’t want the lost woman to suffer anymore.

She approached the body and laid her hands on the woman’s torso. Carefully, Elsa dug her talons into the flesh between the woman’s ribs, cracking each rib on the left off from the sternum. When the window was ready, she cut the flesh open with a finger. Elsa slid her hands between the cut set of ribs and the woman’s sternum and wrenched. The woman opened like a roast turkey.

The stench was vile, even this fresh. Blood spilled out from the opening. Elsa found the dead woman’s heart, warm but fading. All that remained of her life was her meat.

Elsa reached into the woman’s chest cavity and stroked the heart once, twice, like it was a living thing. She guided her claws around it, slicing through the arteries and veins connecting it to the rest of the vascular system. Viscera spurted onto her face.

Elsa lifted the organ to her mouth and bit down. Her teeth cleaved the flesh apart like it was lettuce. She was quick, for the taste was awful. Drops of red marked the white floor.

Elsa finished, the human heart consumed. At first she felt utterly the same, then the familiar tight heat bubbled in her blood. She felt it revitalizing her. Energy from the void spilled into Elsa and mended her aching body. She sighed, full again. She wouldn’t need to eat for another few weeks. With one last look at the desecrated corpse, Elsa leapt from the window and fell the 8 stories to the ground, landing on her feet. 

She still didn’t know what to do about Anna. Hopefully she was asleep by now. Elsa darted off into the night, ready to go to work.


	3. Anna II

Anna glanced out the school window. Behind her, a wizened middle-aged woman lectured about the influence of World War I on the working class of the 20s and 30s. Another day of history class. The rain let up sometime that morning, and Anna was thankful for the change of pace. Through the glass window she could hear the murmur of birds exploring the altered, wetter world. The sun peeked through the miasma of clouds in bursts. Anna took note that it never quite met the ground. She sighed.

A scrap of paper beaned Anna on the back of the head. She turned and saw Kristoff and Rapunzel leaned over one another, pointing at her. She made a face at them.

“Having fun, Anna?” came the teacher’s voice from the front. Anna whirled, tinting red. 

“Yeah, lots of fun!” Anna answered. Several of her classmates chuckled. Her teacher stared down her nose at Anna, then returned to the whiteboard. 

With her back turned, Anna ducked down to pick up the scrap of paper. It was a small, folded star: no doubt Rapunzel’s handiwork. When she unfolded it, the word ‘you’re great and we value you,’ read back at her. She smiled.

Anna was having a rough week, as she’d explained to Kristoff and Rapunzel daily since they’d met earlier that week. Her new foster mother was trouble, though she didn’t explicitly state why, or explain why she blushed bright red every time Elsa came up in conversation. Anna was an idiot, that much was clear now. Her first night in Arendelle manor she saw pain flash behind her eyelids every time she closed her eyes to try and sleep. 

The large, open room grew taller over her and latticed above her head like a steel cage. Red light spilled in from the window. She couldn’t remember if she was dreaming when it happened. Maybe she’d just been psyching herself out, but as her mind drifted in the haze of midnight off it was impossible to tell.

She slept for 10 minutes, maybe. Anna woke again clutching her chest, sweat pooling on her forehead. She needed someone, anyone, she thought. I’m going to die, her mind said. I’m going to die right now. Her hands shook and she felt herself hyperventilating.

Anna hadn’t suffered a panic attack in nigh on a year, but here one was again tormenting her at her most vulnerable like a gaoler with a spiked whip.

Anna went the only place she could think in her altered state. She found Elsa’s room and slid in behind the woman in bed, holding tight to her back for safety. She held her breath, but Elsa hadn’t moved. Good. Anna wouldn’t stay the whole night, she told herself, she only needed to calm down. Already she was coming down, even as a few tears leaked from her. Thank god Elsa was asleep. Anna listened to her breathing, counting the intakes and exhales like a melody. It soothed her.

Elsa’s skin was so soft. White, fragile hair tickled Anna’s cheeks. She smelled amazing, like pine needles in winter. Elsa’s presence comforted Anna, and were she not in a moment of dire need, would probably have aroused her. She noticed only too late that Elsa was clad only in a very short, very thin nightgown. Stupid, sexy foster mom. Cool, amazingly kind trans nerd foster mom with lips and hips to die for…

Don’t fall asleep, Anna told herself as she drifted off. When her dreams came again, they were softer. Anna walked through a garden of snow and ice in a distant land she didn’t know, eagles singing in the blue sky. The deep snow crunched under her feet but she wasn’t cold. Anna found Elsa in a palace, adorned like a queen in a dress that shimmered the colors of the aurora. She descended the steps of her castle on a fjord. Her people cheered for her, and Anna was one of them. One moment she was in the crowd, waving, and the next she was at Elsa’s side, holding her hand.

Sunlight woke Anna the next morning. She groaned, blinking open her heavy eyelids. Elsa was gone from the spot before her on the bed, a warm indentation left behind where she’d slept. 

Anna panicked. She didn’t mean to fall asleep! Elsa was just so calming. Anna lunged from the bed and scampered back to her room, almost tripping over Gerda in the hallway. 

“Slow down, young miss!” called the housekeeper behind her.

“Sorry!” said Anna, “hey, where’s Elsa?”

Gerda puffed out her cheeks. “Downstairs preparing you breakfast,” she said, “best not keep her waiting.” Anna might have died.

She slammed her bedroom door and propped her back against it. She had to go downstairs, obviously. Would Elsa even say anything? Dread coalesced in Anna’s heart. She paced, throwing off her pajamas and digging for something casual. One night in her new home and she’d already fucked it up and made it horribly, achingly awkward, and it was going so well, too.

Anna kicked her suitcase, already dented and beaten from years of hard use. She hadn’t even unpacked last night. Digging for an outfit, Anna steeled herself. She’d already decided to give Elsa a shot. When they held each other in the kitchen before dinner Anna felt like this could be the new beginning she needed. She wasn’t about to risk that on her second fucking day. Anna checked herself in the mirror. She dabbed on mascara, for her nerves. With a confidence she didn’t actually have, Anna stepped through her door and descended the spiral staircase to the first floor. She followed the long hall of photographs to the kitchen, the smell of meat wafting toward her. Her stomach growled.

Elsa proved jovial. She told Anna she needed to think about the last night’s events before actually discussing it with her. Anna couldn’t fathom why. She’d gotten all prepared and here they were putting off the obvious. Wouldn’t it be easier to talk it out right away? Maybe Elsa was gearing up to punish her. A vision of Elsa bending her over the counter and spanking her soared to the head of her thoughts. Her skirt was hiked up behind her, her cheeks red. Anna buried her face in her pancakes and didn’t dare make eye contact with Elsa for the rest of breakfast. 

Seven days later and her new foster mother still hadn’t broached the issue. Anna’d seen less of her so that was of course part of it: Elsa went out in the early evenings a few times and didn’t return until well past midnight, and of course Anna never saw her while she was at school. It was especially notable that morning when Anna went to the kitchen for breakfast to find Gerda. Elsa was still out, she told Anna. All night? She wasn’t avoiding Anna, was she?

Elsa treated her much the same even if she didn’t address the elephant in the room. She woke early to make Anna breakfast before school every day, save that morning. They watched movies together in the evening. Anna told Elsa about her day, about her new friends and her boring classes. Elsa didn’t talk much about herself, she noticed. Not unless Anna brought it up first, like that first time they’d met. The anxiety was beginning to boil over and Anna hadn’t the slightest idea how to go forward. She, at least, needed peace of mind on the issue, and quick. Was Elsa just embarrassed for her? Or…maybe the worst had happened and she’d interpreted Anna’s actions as a sexual move, and was now finding the right words to put Anna in her place? No, of course not.

The bell rang. Students rose from their seats around her as Anna blinked back into the present. 

“Daydreaming, again?” asked Kristoff from behind her.

“Yup, just thinking about how delicious muffins are. Thank goodness its lunch.” He gave her a look as she stood from her desk.

“Muffins, huh?” Anna pinked.

“Not like that.”

“I think it was definitely like that,” said Kristoff. 

“Oh, stop it,” said Rapunzel as she joined them.

The three friends laughed. Kristoff and Rapunzel were cute, both of them, in that blond and sweet sort of way. And they were twins, it turned out. On Anna’s first day in her new school building she’d been stumbling through the halls like a recently blinded turkey. She even bumped into a few walls because her face was so glued to her schedule and map. The office staff was sympathetic at least, and drew her some helpful arrows on the winding, labyrinthine chart of their educational institution. When she finally arrived late for first period she was assigned a seat in the back next to the two blonds, who had both also come in late just a minute before. As fate had it, Rapunzel was wearing a bisexual pride pin. It hadn’t taken long for Anna to meet some other queers after all.

“Still having issues with your new foster mom?” asked Kristoff. They exited through the school’s main doors and looped around to the garden side. Everyone was bundled up for the cold. It was their lunch spot, quiet and away from the bustle and noise. Anna examined the empty planters as she always did and hoped she’d be around long enough to see them bloom come spring. They sat down in a circle on a mat of pavement to avoid the wet grass.

“Yeah,” Anna said as she reached into her backpack for a PBJ, “we’re still, uh, getting used to each other, I guess.”

“That totally makes sense, though,” said Rapunzel. She pointed at Anna with her pinky finger between mouthfuls of cold sticky rice, “When we got away from our shitty aunt it took forever for us to get used to our actual parents again.”

“Even if they were better in every conceivable way,” added Kristoff. He withdrew a slice of mysterious, unknown cold meat from a Tupperware. Anna grimaced as he bit into it.

Somehow, she didn’t think her new friends encountered the kind of issue with a parent she was having. She hadn’t told them, obviously. The only person she trusted enough to confide in about her inappropriate lust was Vanellope. 

“I think I’m going to talk to her about it,” said Anna.

“Didn’t you say she told you she’d bring it up when she was ready?” Kristoff said between bites.

“Yeah, but it’s been a week. I can’t live like this.” Anna gestured at the sky, pouting.

Rapunzel giggled. “That’s fair. Go for it. You’ve got my number if you need to text me afterwards,” she said. Anna smiled at her, cheeks warming.

“And mine,” added Kristoff. Rapunzel gave him a look and socked him in the shoulder. “Ow!” he cried between laughs. He jabbed her back just as hard but she stood her ground.

“You’re a meathead, you can be backup.”

“A sensitive meathead,” her brother replied, waving a finger in her face. Rapunzel stuck her tongue out at him. “Offer still stands.”

Anna laughed, throwing her head back. She ran her fingers through the damp grass just off the sidewalk to clean her fingers of sandwich crumbles. “Thank you,” she said, lowering her gaze, “both of you. M-Meeting you has made this first week go a lot better than it could have.”

Her friends smiled at her. 

“Us gays have to stick together,” said Kristoff.

“Queers,” corrected his sister, “you’re the gay.”

“Details. I’m trying to be warm and supportive, here.”

Anna watched Rapunzel chastise her brother with fondness. Distracted, she watched the sky for rain. Nothing, but it looked as if it could start pouring any second.

Another girl stepped around the corner of the building into the garden on the edge of Anna’s vision. The addition saw the trio laughing and perked up, jogging over to greet them. Rapunzel and Kristoff sat up in attempt to look civil. Anna smirked at them.

“Hey folks,” Jane said as she approached. 

“O-Oh, hey Jane!” said Rapunzel. She stood up to greet her. Her flushing cheeks and slight stutter didn’t escape Anna’s notice. She exchanged a look with Kristoff.

“Hey, Porter,” said Kristoff. 

“We lost a few more members of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance,” Jane said, bright smile betraying the news. She addressed Kristoff and Anna, “I was wondering if you’d like to reconsider your decision not to join us? There’s free snacks at meetings.”

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up, Jane,” said Rapunzel, “I’ve been nagging them about it all week.”

“I have practice!” said Kristoff, throwing his arms in the air.

“You could do both!”

“But then when would I get Kristoff time? And you know Sven doesn’t like it when I don’t walk him at the same time every day.”

Rapunzel sighed and gave Jane an apologetic look. Jane glanced at Anna, expectantly. Anna felt her anxiety sparking to life, fear tightening in her throat. She wanted to join. Really. 

“M-Maybe another time,” Anna said, breaking eye contact. She rubbed her shoulder. “I’m still getting used to things.”

Jane smiled. “Of course, that’s alright. We’re always here, though.” 

Anna nodded.

“I best be off, then. Lots to do!” Jane laughed awkwardly and waved her hand in the air like an old British socialite. 

“See you soon,” said Rapunzel. 

“Yes.”

They paused, both clearly wanting to speak but unable to. With another quick laugh, Jane turned and headed back into the school. Rapunzel sighed. Behind her, Anna and Kristoff were grinning at each other, unable to contain their giggles.

“Oh, shush,” said Rapunzel as she sat back down. Her face was still red.

“You gotta make a move,” said Kristoff.

“I’m working up to it!”

“I know how that feels,” said Anna, her mind elsewhere. She wasn’t actually going to make a move on Elsa, but she could pretend to feel included in her social group. Oh, were the cards different; wouldn’t that be something. Her spanking fantasy from class drifted through her thoughts again.

Kristoff cocked his head at her. “You do?” It was Anna’s turn to blush.

“Hold on, there’s someone you like? Already?” said Rapunzel. 

“Uh,” Anna said. They didn’t let her live it down for the rest of the day.

 

\--o--

 

Anna approached the school bus lot. The bus driver, an old Scottish man, smiled as she boarded. She found her usual seat near the back and sighed in relief when no one sat next to her. Anna glanced out the window. Still no rain. Maybe she’d be able to get a walk in today? Ten minutes after school ended the bus roared to life. The doors closed, squeaking and scratching like old sheet metal. The machine groaned under them and lurched forward into the streets of Seattle.

Anna’s phone buzzed in her pocket as she watched the buildings, a mix of old, nearly gothic architecture and straight modern structures, whiz by. Anna still wasn’t used to having a phone that wasn’t a pre-paid brick with 100 minutes on it. She could drop that one off the Space Needle and it would be fine. She wasn’t so sure about the new one.

Anna checked her messages. It was the group chat.

Kristoff: hey anna  
Anna: what’s up  
Kristoff: punzel and i were thinkin  
Kristoff: cold we come over smetime to see ur new place  
Kristoff: if that’s not too weird to ask one week into friendship  
Rapunzel: it sounds delightful, can we?  
Rapunzel: I really want to check out the paintings and statues you mentioned  
Kristoff: we can pretend to be rich and drink shitty tea and dsicuss stocks

Anna nearly jumped. She’d love to have her new friends over. They could have a sleepover! If Elsa was okay with it, of course. Would Elsa be okay with it? She struck Anna as a private person, it wouldn’t do to bring people over on a whim without making sure it was okay first.

Anna: that sounds fun! I’ll ask Elsa  
Kristoff: hella  
Rapunzel: sweet! we can work out a time after ya get the go ahead  
Anna: cool. We can play videogames!  
Kristoff: god yes  
Rapunzel: great…  
Anna: and have a pillow fight!  
Rapunzel: oh it’s on  
Rapunzel: I will bury you in the ground  
Anna: bury me with your sound?  
Rapunzel: gonna drink the red from your pretty pink veins  
Kristoff: oh my god

Anna chuckled. Her phone buzzed again. She swiped away the group chat and opened the new messenger window. Before reading she glanced outside the window to make sure the bus hadn’t passed her stop. Still good.

Vanellope: babygirl!  
Anna: hey V!  
Vanellope: how’s the slavery  
Vanellope: I mean the American education system  
Anna: it goes. Rapunzel and Kristoff are still cool  
Vanellope: hella fuckin A, girl. You work friendships fast  
Anna: what can I say it’s a gift  
Vanellope: the gift that keeps on giving lovely new stinkers to weed through. glad u found the good ones

Anna’s stop was coming up soon. She kept on eye on the road while responding. Vanellope was her oldest friend, and a powerful ally. She’d helped Anna get set up with hormones back in the day. They’d lived in the same big home for a few months and hadn’t been able to get enough of each other since. She was the first person Anna Skyped after moving in with Elsa.

Anna: me too!  
Vanellope: what else is new? gimme the lowdown, Anna girl! i finally moved in with new family  
Anna: oh! how is it?  
Vanellope: more of the same, beter than the last  
Anna: that’s good at least! I’m near Lake Washington now, where are you?  
Vanellope: ugh, fucking Kirkland  
Anna: i mean that’s not impossibly far  
Vanellope: but the bus, Anna! the bus!  
Anna: maybe you shoulda thought o that before you got your license suspended again  
Vanellope: the speed calls to me! I was borne to go fast, what did the law expect? the fuz should kno by now I can’t be kept down  
Anna: definitely  
Vanellope: fascists, all of them  
Anna: no argument there

Anna saw her stop approaching. 

Anna: sorry V on the bus about to get off  
Anna: message you later tonight okay  
Anna: ?  
Vanellope: you better i wanna hear more about your uncontrollable foster mom lust. it’s been a few days since you mentioned it and I’m bleeding for deets  
Anna: oh my god the don’t say that here the FBI agent who stalks me will report it  
Vanellope: ur gonna miss ur stop if you keep typing dummy  
Anna: shut up gay  
Vanellope: no u

Anna slid her phone into her jeans pocket and stood up as the school bus slowed to a stop a block away from Arendelle manor. She thanked the driver on her way out. A wind picked up as the vehicle sped away and tossed decaying leaves into the air. The winter air bit into her like morning frost.

Mansions surrounded Anna on all sides. It made her uncomfortable. So much money in one place. Elsa was fine, but that was probably because she lived with Elsa and liked her as a person. Walking down the street all the multi-million dollar homes looked like a bloodstain on the geography. 

Anna approached the gates leading home: imposing, steel sentinels with spiked tops. They creaked open on her touch. Anna walked the up the paved path, Elsa’s manor visible between the trees. All around her she heard the scurrying of animals and the shrieks of crows. There were more of them than usual, she observed. Was something wrong? The small road wound around pines and half broken statues. As Anna got closer, she spotted dark spots on the pavement leading up to the steps. She leaned down to take a closer look and inhaled the tangy smell of iron.

Blood. Anna saw the trail clearly then, the red even more visible against the manor house steps as it led up and through the open front door. She panicked. Gritting her teeth Anna sprinted to the stairs and stopped, listening for any sounds at all coming from inside. Fear ground her bones. The sound was like death in her ears. She whipped her phone out, ready to ring someone.

The police? She didn’t even like the police. But what if someone was hurt? 

Anna overheard Gerda speaking. “You must get up, miss, Anna will be back very soon!” 

Elsa groaned, a guttural sound that weaved out the door and made the air heavy. Anna leaped up the steps and darted inside. 

Her eyes went wide.

“What the fuck?” Anna said. Gerda whipped around and spotted her. The woman’s teeth clenched.

“Oh, no,” she moaned.

The wood floor was splattered with blood. The rusty scent of iron staggered Anna where she stood. Lying on the ground, breathing faintly, was Elsa. Except, she was different. Anna’s foster mother was taller somehow, her skin turned brilliant hues of blue. White horns jutted from her head like icicle; a serpent’s tail ran out from the base of her spine. She was covered in cuts and gouges scoring her torso, only tatters remaining of what must have been a grey dress. Bright red blood pooled around her. 

Lying beside Elsa was another creature. It’s lower half was furry with hooved feet like a goat’s. The thing’s chest and arms were missing large chunks of flesh, revealing bone and organs underneath. Great, torn wings spread out from its back. The head was mashed to pulp, unrecognizable. Elsa’s hand was clenched in a death grip around its wrist as if she’d been dragging it.

Anna dropped to her knees and vomited.


	4. Elsa II

Elsa leapt between the rooftops of downtown. The icy wind of winter night felt like an old friend’s embrace. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she flew through the air, flinging herself off parapets and chimneys only to land half a dozen stories down on two feet. Seattle was her favorite playground. How wonderful to be back in the sky after hiding so long, terrified someone would spot her.

Elsa felt so full, too! Her stomach still tingled with the warm, eldritch energies of the beyond, soothing her heart and soul like a warm bath. She kept spacing her meals too far, really. She needed this more often, she thought as she slung herself between two skyscrapers, knowing it was one thing to dream about going out more and another to consider what it could mean.

Elsa did wish she could stop scaring people before they died, though. She thought of the old woman in the hospital bed; the issue was Elsa wasn’t really sure how to make that happen. She needed to consume a human heart seconds after death or it wouldn’t fuel her. Standing in the room like a stalker was the only easy way to be sure she was in time, otherwise she’d have to go find another, and that wasn’t fun for anyone. She’d missed hearts before, eating them moments after they lost their residual connection to the void. They tasted so terrible she’d almost given up and gone home to try again another day, but the hunger dragged her back out. Hearts made Elsa feel amazing, yes, but goodness were they gross. 

Elsa landed on a desolate rooftop. The pale, full moon glinted off the turbines and air conditioners surrounding her like a store full of kitchen appliances. She watched the light sparkle over the water, mind at ease. Her breath was even for possibly the first time since Anna had arrived.

A tear in space opened behind her, exactly where she was told it would be. Elsa turned to face the wormhole. Thick, green energy whirled from the hole in reality as a figure stepped out. She was tall, taller than Elsa and clad in robes of deep black. Half a dozen raven wings erupted from her back and fluttered in the breeze behind her. Great, dark dragon horns grew from her skull and tapered back over her head. She approached Elsa with a sure step, a withered staff in her hand, her eyes piercing. 

“Maleficent,” said Elsa. “Good to see you.” A partial truth.

“And you, Arendelle.” Maleficent tipped her chin in greeting. “Have you eaten?” she asked.

“Yes. Just a bit ago at the medical center on the hill.” Elsa gestured behind her.

“Good. The mess will be taken care of, per our contract.” 

Elsa nodded. “Thank you,” she said.

“Now, then.” Maleficent waved her hand and a plume of green energy burst into existence. She cracked her fingers and it formed a face. “This is your target. A group of children summoned him on accident,” Maleficent rolled her eyes, “he’ll be energetic; I highly doubt he was expecting to get summoned at all.” Maleficent smirked at Elsa. She didn’t react, so Maleficent continued. “Find him and convince him to return to the Underworld or kill him if he refuses. I’ll be back tomorrow for the body if we don’t see him before then.”

“If it comes to that, I’ll drag him to the manor.”

“Good.”

“Any chance we could get tea afterwards?” Elsa chanced.

Maleficent frowned. “Not this time. Deepest apologies. The Queen has me running ragged on incursion duty since Yzma is out sick.” At that, Elsa smiled. Maleficent’s eyes gleamed. 

“Next time, then.”

“If you keep trying to be my friend, Elsa, you’re going to get hurt.” For a second the moon vanished and darkness enveloped them both. Maleficent’s eyes shone green like haunted emeralds in the gloom. Then, quick as it came, the spell vanished, and Maleficent smiled. Elsa did her best to hide the cold terror shearing her heart. She failed.

The two of them returned to the image of the escaped demon. Elsa clenched her hands at her sides. He looked fierce, his mouth glistening with six-dozen sharpened fangs. “Any idea where he might be?” she asked.

Maleficent cocked an eyebrow at her and smirked. “Still can’t use that sixth sense of yours to detect your own kind, can you? You’re a ceaseless wonder.”

Elsa grimaced. “Shut up,” she said, looking away.

Maleficent shrugged. “Were you not a half-breed I doubt you’d have that restriction, though I couldn’t say for sure.” A wicked grin spread on her face.

“Mm,” Elsa said, looking back over the Sound. “So you don’t know where he is?” she asked.

Maleficent sighed, slumping her shoulders. “The escapee is by the viaduct.”

“Thank you.” 

“Take care of yourself, Arendelle.”

“You too.”

Maleficent turned and stepped back through the glowing portal. Elsa watched it close behind her. She was just enough of a demon to have the horns, just enough to jump between buildings like they were river stones, but not enough to have anything more than the most rudimentary blood magic. As a Lord, Mal could make portals between realms as often as she wished. Elsa cracked her knuckles. Oh, to be that free…

She stepped up onto the guard railing of the building, crouching down to survey the skyline. She found the viaduct by the harbor and plunged, skipping between the tops of buildings to her destination and guided effortlessly by her night vision. 

The streets were nearly empty of cars when she arrived. Nearly 3am; good. Elsa searched underneath the massive highway in the deserted parking lots by the piers, but it didn’t take long to find her mark. The smell of blood hung in the air. Reaching out with her second sight, Elsa confirmed there weren’t any humans out late in the area, or, at least, none that would stumble upon her if she finished her work quickly enough. Please just go back in peace, she hoped. 

Elsa found him crouched next to old art installation hidden from view by street ramps and trees. She approached, guided by the light of the moon and silent as a shadow. The demon was hunched over a corpse, his snout buried in its chest. Intestines were strewn about. Beside the dead child lay four other bodies, already desecrated. Elsa scrunched her nose. She made note of a circle of runes and candles not far off.

“Hey,” she said. The demon whipped up and turned on her, teeth bared. He had a canine head stuck on a humanoid body with muscly goat legs and bat wings growing off his shoulders. Even hunched over he easily stood a foot over Elsa at her tallest. She felt so little around full-blooded demons, damn them.

“Oh,” he said, bemused, “thought you were a human. What are you doing here? You get summoned too?” The demon shook off his hands, splashing drops of blood on the concrete. 

Elsa shook her head. Her tail swung behind her, charged with nervous energy. “The Lords sent me. They ask that you to return to the Underworld immediately.” She spoke with as much power as her voice would allow. It didn’t feel enough. 

The demon cackled, standing up to his full height and extending his wings. “Fuck the Lords, coming and going as they please. I might not get another chance to be in this realms for 200 years.” His eyes glowed red, drunk on blood.

Elsa stiffened. “You aren’t authorized to be up here right now,” she said. Wind tangled her hair behind her.

“But you are, huh? You one of the Lords’ stooges? Who was it that sent you? The Queen herself? Ursula? Or, shit, was it Mal? Fuck that lady.” He shook his head.

Elsa didn’t respond.

The demon opened his arms and relaxed his shoulders. “Come on, let me have this! It’s my chance to make some chaos! Here, here, why don’t you partake in some of this meat I’ve collected?” He gestured towards the bodies and a grotesque smile formed on his lips. “They were good enough to summon me, can’t let the rest of ‘em go to waste.” He shrugged. “I mean, I already ate the hearts, but there’s other stuff in there, too.”

Negotiations were swinging south, Elsa thought as she listened to the ocean behind her and ignored everything the demon was saying. As negotiations often did. “I can’t do that,” Elsa said, “and I-I’ve been ordered to kill you if you don’t return willingly.” Even she could hear the waver in her voice. “Last chance,” she added.

The demon scowled. He crossed his arms and stared at the ground, his throat rumbling. “Shame. That sucks,” he said, the course of action decided.

“Mm, it does.” Elsa relished the last still moment she had.

His arm swung at her faster than the human reaction time. Elsa ducked, ice already coalescing on her forearm. She thrust forward, spearing his abdomen with a blade of ice cold as the reaches of space. He grunted, his skin freezing out from the wound, then dropped his elbow into her neck before she could back away. Elsa gasped and sliced upwards, dislodging her arm and forcing him to parry.

She stepped away but he was already on her again, lunching forward hard enough to crack the ground. The demon tore into his own abdomen and cracked off two ribs. As he drew the bones from his flesh they extended into sharp spears glistening with blood. He struck furiously. Elsa blocked one bone with her ice blade but took the other across the shoulder, cutting her deep. 

“Hey, how’s that?” asked the demon, spewing saliva as he spoke, “you’re not that good.”

Elsa hissed at him, baring her fangs.

She feinted low but swung high, knocking a lance from his hand. He stumbled and she shot at him, impaling her icicle blade in his chest again with all the force of her jump and tearing up into his ribs as hard as she could. He went down, wings collapsing under him as he screamed. Elsa stomped his throat three times, harder and with more talon on each, until he was gasping for air and clutching his bleeding neck. The demon swung his remaining lance at her but Elsa grabbed it from the air before it struck home and slashed the arm holding it. The demon shrieked as he let go. Elsa spun the bone spear above her head and drove it down into his neck, falling to her knee with the force and shattering the rock under them. Thick, dark blood spewed into the air from his arteries and splashed Elsa’s face and chest.

The demon stilled. Elsa sighed and stood, brushing herself off. She was about to look away when she registered the demon smirking up at her just before a dozen other bone spears launched from his chest up into her. They tore her everywhere and opened her flesh in large, painful arcs. She tasted her own blood flooding into her mouth.

She might have blacked out; she wasn’t sure. Elsa couldn’t feel her left arm, but her right arm was still encased in ice. Good. Blood blinded her in one eye and dribbled from her mouth. The demon held her in the air against a wall by her neck. He roared in her face, wet heat washing over her. He slammed Elsa against the concrete. Over, and over, and over. The back her head felt as if it would split. 

“Like how that feels?” He cried.

Demons usually die when they can’t breath, Elsa thought; or when they’re choking on their blood. This one didn’t and she’d been foolish to make assumptions about demon anatomy. There was one grace, though. The demon was strong and resilient, but he was also stupid. He just couldn’t stop gloating and fucking kill her.

Elsa kicked his chest with everything she could muster, pushing off the concrete wall for extra momentum. The wind left him and he staggered. She found the hand around her neck and gripped his thumb, wrenching it back until it broke. He howled. Elsa’s fist collided with the demon’s snout before he could recover. He dropped like a sack of bricks, but this time Elsa kicked him over onto his stomach, his ribs facing down.

She leapt upon him, both her forearms coated in ice spears like diamond cutters, and sheared his back, his neck, and his head. She pummeled him until the ice shattered and it was her fists beating his face into the pavement. She didn’t stop until she hit rock.

 

\--o—

 

Elsa woke to the sound of shouting. She flickered her eyes open, still partially blinded by the blood. She was back home, lying like a corpse on the cold floor of her foyer. Anna was screaming.

No, Elsa thought. She didn’t want Anna to find out like this. Her charge’s skin was pale as bone, the smell of fresh vomit mixing with the tint blood. She wasn’t sure if she’d wanted Anna to find out at all. It would be better if she didn’t in the long term, right? Who knew, now. Elsa was terrified the girl would flee. She’d lose her. What if she reported her to someone? Elsa coughed, blood coming up with her air.

“What is this!? No, what the fuck is this!?” Anna shouted.

“Please, Anna, Elsa will be able to explain better than I can,” said Gerda, “I know it looks messy but she heals very fast, and this isn’t quite as it looks!” Elsa watched her lifelong caretaker stand up for her and couldn’t help but smile. Elsa’d been stupid. So, so stupid.

She’d taken heavy injuries before. She’d almost died before, but this time was different. Anna was looking at her like she was a creature from a horror movie given flesh. The girl shouldn’t ever have to see this, or ever have to be scarred by anything she saw in Elsa’s presence. Elsa let her guard down in a fight for one second and she’d destroyed Anna’s hopes of ever having a normal life. Elsa shed tears as she grit her teeth, shame and self-loathing flooding her bloodstream. She could have gone faster, made sure Anna was still at school, but she could barely move on her own, much less with a corpse along for the ride.

Elsa thought herself worse than the demon she’d killed, but she didn’t have time to hide this time. To gather herself. She couldn’t hide from her shame, not now, in the heat of the moment. Anna needed her.

“Anna,” Elsa groaned, lifting her head from the floor. Anna whirled on her, eyes full of terror and fury. Elsa winced.

“E-Elsa?”

“’m sorry, Anna. Didn’t mean to scare you, I—“ she was fading. Shit. The blackness tugged at her consciousness like needles. It was a miracle she’d even gotten home. Her head clattered back down.

Anna kneeled by her side, hesitant. “Elsa, are you okay?” she asked, her hands hovering over Elsa’s arm, not touching. “That is you, right? You’re so—what the fuck, Elsa? What are you?”

“Demon,” Elsa muttered. Her heart stung. “Sorta. ‘s complicated.” Anna shuffled and Elsa watched her looking for potential escape routes. She did her best to meet Anna’s eyes and look okay. She wasn’t okay. “I’m not gonna hurt ya, Anna. ’re my to’ priority, I promised. There’s just some. Othe’ things we nee’ talk about. Besides the other, OTHER things we need t’ talk ‘bout. ’m sorry.” Elsa let her eyes close. Keeping them open was too much. She’d forgotten about their first night together.

“Elsa, just,” Anna began, “I’m not, what, this is fucked, you know? What am I supposed to think you’re covered in blood and you brought a headless monster into our home!” 

“Sorry. Was trying t’ get it t’ th’ basement.”

“That’s not better!”

“S’rry.”

“Elsa needs to rest, Anna,” said Gerda, “she’ll be fine. She won’t hurt you. This is just…part of what she does. She’s a demon who, uh…kills the bad demons.”

Elsa grimaced. She opened her eyes again but saw nothing, her vision completely dark. She was falling back into the abyss.

“Gr’ss oversimplification,” Elsa said, “but yes.”

She heard Gerda chuckle and then felt the world truly give way.

“O-okay,” said Anna, “so you’re like, uh, Vampire Hunter D?”

“Wha’?”

“N-Nevermind, just, please, please be okay.”

Elsa felt tentative but warm hands touch her arm. Relief ran off her like water. Anna had such a big heart, even with her world turned upside down. It made Elsa’s chest fuzzy. 

“Y-You are gonna be okay, right?” Amma asked. The weight of existence dragged on Elsa’s muscles. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. “Elsa?” She felt Anna’s hands on her face. “Elsa! Hey!”

She blacked out.


	5. Anna III

Anna watched her foster mother sleep, but not in the weird vampire way, all cold and rigid and breathing heavily over a young girl. Quite the opposite, actually. Anna was nestled in a chase below the single, tall window in Elsa's surprisingly homely room. Ancient books with smudged off titles lined the walls while heavy plants adorned the spaces uncluttered by candles. The room was warm like a hearth. Anna hadn't been expecting that. 

There was only one light switch in the room for the awful, blaring overhead bulb that Gerda had advised her not to turn on. Instead, Anna helped Gerda light the dozens of candles scattered around Elsa'a sanctuary. Anna couldn’t count them all. They filled every corner and ranged from custom ordered Internet purchases to Goodwill impulse buys.

It was beautiful, but Anna wasn’t in a good space to appreciate it. She and Gerda had worked very hard to get Elsa up the stairs to her room. Not only was she six-and-half feet tall now, but her weight seemed to have doubled, too. Probably the tail, Anna thought. She and Gerda hefted the woman onto their shoulders and carried her between them, dragging Elsa up to the second floor with her knees knocking against each stair. Gerda took over after they lied Elsa down on her bed. She cleaned her of blood and sewed up her gashes, making liberal use of a foul smelling disinfectant.

"They'll be gone tomorrow," Gerda said. Anna still had a hard time believing it. “Elsa heals quick.”

"What about the body?" asked Anna.

Gerda paused before speaking. "Don't worry about that," she said as she left the room and descended back down the flight of stairs to where the beaten corpse lay. Anna hadn't questioned further. She was in shock, or at least a little. And also partially afraid she would die for seeing what she had. Anna spent the remainder of the evening hiding in her room, unable to wipe the vivid sight of blood from her mind. Crimson flooded over her eyes like a veil. She didn’t do her homework. What did homework matter now? Not that it mattered in the first place. She would probably never even make it to college unless Elsa really was that generous, and even then Anna was dreaming and feigning ignorance of what had just transpired. She grabbed her 10-year-old iPod and listened to death metal until she couldn’t keep her eyes open.

Elsa didn’t wake all evening, Gerda told her in the morning. Anna barely slept herself after a night of terrors and panics. After breakfast, Anna tried and failed to go to school. She boarded the bus and made it to first period, bantered with Kristoff and Rapunzel, but by second she gave up and ditched. She told her friends she was feeling sick and caught the city bus back home.

Already telling lies to keep secrets, Anna thought. Elsa was still asleep when she returned to the manor in mid morning. Gerda said still hadn’t woken and made an obligatory effort to protest Anna leaving school early, though her argument lacked all conviction. 

Anna threw down her backpack and rushed upstairs. Elsa was on her bed, over the sheets now, clean but rough looking. Her breath was slow and distant. With Elsa unconscious for as long as she had been, Anna had spent nearly a full 24 hours stewing, and her blood was near boiling with nerves. She had so many questions. When would her foster mother wake? What was she going to tell everyone? There was no way Anna was prepared to pretend something huge in her personal life hadn’t just happened; Kristoff and Rapunzel would know soon if they hadn’t suspected already. Anna sat in the chair across from Elsa’s bed before noon struck, only half the candles still lit. She flipped through her phone. Anxiety attacked her thoughts from all sides, but Anna was going to be there when Elsa woke up, no matter what.

She sighed, sinking into her chair. She was more tired than freaked out now, lying there in the candle lit gloom and hoping her foster mother would awaken to answer all her questions. Elsa was a demon. Anna rubbed her head as she scrolled through Tumblr. Demons exist. What else exists? How many are there? She shook her head. Why was Elsa posing as human? Was she going to see Anna sitting there after waking and decide she was a liability, and then kill her and eat her corpse?

Anna’s phone buzzed. It was V.

Vanellope: aight homegrl u said yod fill me in last night and didnt whats the stitch  
Anna: um  
Vanellope: nah grl u blew me off what’s up  
Vannelope: tell me  
Anna: something came up  
Vanellope: thats what she said  
Anna: omg  
Anna: its my foster mom  
Vanellope: the hot one  
Anna: …yes  
Vanellope: dam that is in fact what she said then  
Anna: she’s sick  
Vanellope: oh shit  
Vanellope: that kept u from textin ur best girl back  
Anna: like rly sick made a mess of the foyer sick  
Vanellope: oh  
Vanellope: how do u pronounce that anyways  
Anna: what  
Vanellope: foyer  
Anna: fo-yay I think  
Vanellope: sounds gay  
Anna: she hasnt woken up since yesterday  
Vanellope: oh fuck  
Vanellope: hospital?  
Anna: no  
Vanellope: excuse me ur mum made a mess of the foyay and hasn’t woken up in 24 hrs and now  
Vanellope: no hsopital  
Anna: she’s…weird  
Vanellope: sounds liekt it  
Vanellope: u ok?  
Anna: I dunno  
Anna: im really rattled  
Anna: what do I do like  
Vanellope: um. hospital?  
Anna: I don’t think that’s a good idea  
Anna: gerda told me not to call anyone  
Vanellope: girl that’s suspicious as hell are you sure you aren’t harboring a mob queen on accident  
Anna: man that’d be hot  
Vanellope: right  
Vanellope: but real talk im worried boo  
Anna: thanks. I am too. and okay  
Anna: there’s  
Anna: more to it too  
Vanellope: yea????  
Anna: more i don know if I can tell you  
Vanellope: …  
Anna: what  
Vanellope: im tryin ta find that pic of the egg that says suspicious  
Anna: the what  
Vanellope: how  
Vanellope: do u not kno of suspicious egg  
Vanellope: oh my god this is the greatest gift you could have given me I get to introduct u to suspicious eg  
Vanellope: im blessed this day  
Vanellope: nyways fuck it ill fin it later but yeah annie girl that’s like the most suspicious shit ive heard all week like  
Vanellope: ur new mama is a druglord mob queen walter white just watch  
Vanellope: runnin from the law  
Anna: no  
Vanellope: yeah then wat 

Anna rubbed her eyes. If she told V, would that put V in danger too? She might not even believe her. At the same time, Anna needed to talk about it soon or she’d explode. She couldn’t die sitting on this secret her whole life. She wouldn’t make it. Anna trusted Vanellope, and she was willing to be accountable to that. Besides, if Elsa decided to kill her at least someone would know what was up.

Anna: promise u’ll tell no one  
Vanellope: cross my heart hope to creampie  
Anna: NO ONE, V  
Vanellope: u got my word  
Anna: okay  
Anna: my foster mom is a demon and showd up a the hyosue yesterday with another, dead demon with her  
Vanellope: hhahahahahahha  
Vanellope: okay but really what is it  
Anna: that’s  
Anna: that’s it  
Vanellope: whaaaaat  
Vanellope: ur jerkin my thick, erect chain grl

Anna groaned, smushing her forehead against her phone.

Anna: no im serious  
Vanellope: pics  
Anna: V  
Vanellope: okay fine  
Vanellope: ur mamas a demon  
Vanellope: that’s rad as fuck  
Vanellope: also pics  
Anna: no. thats evidence  
Vanellope: she could still be a mob queen demon  
Anna: here ill Skype you

Anna aimed her flashy new phone at her foster mother’s sleeping body and clicked video call, then immediately muted the sound. Vanellope picked up and Anna saw her eyes bug. She was yelling now, gesticulating madly at the screen, not that Anna could hear her. She hung up and returned to their text channel.

Anna: see  
Vanellope:  
Vanellope: anna  
Vanellope: anna my dearest best girl  
Vanellope: ther is a hot blue demon lady in that bed  
Anna: yeah  
Vanellope: good gods  
Vanellope: okay well then alright um  
Vanellope: i get u now bbgirl  
Anna: yeah  
Anna: im so lost  
Vanellope: samsies  
Vanellope: shes not dangerous right? if she hurts u ill break her face  
Anna: i don’t think so  
Anna: i get the feeling she really cares about me  
Anna: but this well it changes everything  
Vanellope: yeah  
Anna: please, please don tell anyone, V  
Vanellope: my lips are fuckin sealed like delicious candy glue, annsies  
Anna: thanks  
Vanellope: np

Anna heard the sheets rustle across from her and looked up to see Elsa stirring. The demon moaned, blinking her eyes open. She reached her claws in the air and flexed her fingers.

Anna: shes waking up  
Anna: gotta go  
Vanellope: wait anna shit  
Vanellope: ok if don’t hear from u in an hour im gonna  
Vanellope: do smthing i dunno  
Vanellope: i love you  
Anna: love you too

Anna clicked her phone off and stood. She made slow steps over to Elsa, who was still blinking the grogginess out of her eyes. Anna watched her foster mom rub at her face with what could only be described as talons.

“H-hey,” Anna said. She braced herself for the worst. If she died it would all be her stupid, trusting nature’s fault and she knew it. Vanellope would never let her live it down.

Elsa shook her head, draping her tangled hair over her ripped dress, and looked at Anna. She frowned, and Anna saw in detail as Elsa’s face cracked from the weight of guilt. “Anna,” Elsa said, her voice still raspy, “Anna, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She began to cry, big wet tears rolling down her cheeks. Anna was immediately disarmed. Any thoughts of losing her life swiftly vanished into the ether as she breathed in the sight of the crying monster woman lying in the bed before her. Elsa looked so small, even despite her size. No, Anna thought, she was never going to hurt me. Even like this.

“Hey, Elsa, I’m okay,” said Anna. She sat down on the end of the bed, careful to avoid Elsa’s feet and tail. “Are you alright?”

“I’ve ruined your life, Anna,” Elsa said between hiccups, “now you know and nothing will be normal for you ever again. It’s my fault. I fucked up. I’m so sorry.” Oh, sweet baby. Anna couldn’t help but smile. She lowered her voice to a whisper.

“I don’t think things were ever normal for me,” Anna said, “and this, well,” she swallowed, “this is definitely a thing. But I’m okay.”

Elsa chuckled. “Yes,” she said. Anna heard her release a low whine from the bottom of her throat. It was strangely adorable. “I’m still sorry.”

“I forgive you,” Anna said, “I know that you’re…this, and that’s okay. I think. But we need to talk. N-now.” Anna needed answers like children need validation. Elsa had her sympathy again, but Anna was still anxious. Still in the dark. She resisted the urge to chew her thumb.

Elsa sat up on the bed and it creaked under her weight. Her muscles ached as she heaved her torso into a sitting position. “Yes,” she said, “yes, we do. Let’s talk.” She met Anna’s eyes, sleep and pain lingering together. “I think this would work better if you asked questions.”

“You’re a demon?” Anna asked.

Elsa nodded.

“Like, as in hell?”

Elsa cocked her head. “We call it the Underworld. More like another realm of existence connected to this one. Dead people don’t go there.”

Anna grimaced. “Is it anything like the movie with Kate Beckinsale?”

Elsa sniffled and managed to smile. “No, it’s worse,” she said. Her tears were just drying up.

Anna giggled and Elsa beamed at her. It was gorgeous, like the sun coming up in the morning. At least Elsa still thought she was funny. In fact, it was almost like nothing at all had changed, only now Elsa had horns. Anna pinked. Vanellope wasn’t wrong when she’d called Elsa hot. The icy skin, the tail, the additional height and muscle… She hadn’t really looked before when Elsa was asleep, she was too consumed by her mind. But now that she got a look…wow.

“So you’re not going to kill me for learning your secret then, right?” asked Anna.

She meant it as a joke but Elsa reared back against the headboard, eyes wide. “Never,” she said, voice like stone, “I won’t ever, ever hurt you, Anna. I promise.” She sat back up, her gaze full of fire. It made Anna’s heart leap.

“Okay,” she said, smiling. “That’s good. I didn’t think so but just making sure.” Elsa nodded. “Why was there a corpse with you?”

Elsa winced. “Well, uh,” she said, “you’re probably not going to like this part, but. Sometimes demons get summoned from the Underworld and I help return them or take them out before they can do damage.”

“God, you really are Vampire Hunter D.” And oh my god, there are malicious demons invading the world.

“Okay, what?”

“Old anime movie,” Anna said, “we’re watching it together.” She imagined herself nestled in the arms of this larger, more feral looking Elsa as they watched an anime vampire slay evildoers. Anna might even fall asleep in her arms. Heaven.

Elsa sniggered. “Alright,” she said, “I’d like that.” Anna swore her cheeks tinted as she spoke.

“You’re not a serial killer, then?” Anna jabbed.

Elsa shook her head. “I’ve never killed a human,” she said, casting her eyes down to the blanket even as she smiled, “only demons, and even then only when I have to.” She paused, rubbing her hands together. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. It really is grotesque, and you found out about my job in the worst possible way.”

Anna wanted to be mad that Elsa hadn’t told her. She wanted to be able to expect that her foster mother would never keep any secrets from her, no matter how consequential. But this? She couldn’t bring herself to expect Elsa to tell her this. The very knowledge of it took her world by its shoulders and flipped it upside down. And, much to her embarrassment, Anna found that the revelation was filling her with excitement now that she knew Elsa was more or less the same as before, instead of her previous abject dread.

“I understand why you didn’t,” Anna said. Elsa nodded.

“Um,” her foster mother began, twiddling her thumbs. 

“Yeah?”

“Please, uh” Elsa fidgeted, wringing her hands and then gripping the sheets of the bed, her eyes unfocused, “please tell me if there’s anything I can do from now on. Anything. I really don’t want you to hate me, even though I’ve kind of already failed as a foster parent.”

Anna looked at her and saw years of pain and repression welling up into tears. Oh, Elsa, she thought. Please don’t cry. “No, you haven’t failed,” said Anna. She scooted closer to her foster mother, resting a tentative hand on Elsa’s leg. “I couldn’t hate you,” she said, raising her hand to wipe Elsa’s tears away. Elsa smiled, giggling.

“Really? You don’t think I’m a monster?”

“Well…” Anna grinned and looked away.

“Anna!”

Anna snickered and squeezed Elsa’s leg. “You’re a cool monster, not like a monster-monster. Like a cute hentai monster lady, not Nosferatu.”

“Hentai?”

“Uh,” Anna said, flustered, “not, er, nevermind.”

“Is that also something we can watch together?” Jesus Christ, no, holy god.

“Best not,” said Anna. Elsa frowned. “But I could never hate you, okay?”

Elsa blushed and looked at a candle. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Sure.”

Anna and Elsa stole glances at each other and shared in the warmth of the room. Anna noticed how Elsa’s horns cast her face in a new light, how her blue skin matched her eyes so perfectly. She was beautiful like this, maybe even more so. Anna always did have a thing for monster girls, if her previous slip up hadn’t made it obvious. How did Elsa not know what hentai was? 

She’d need to process, of course. Anna knew this was a lot to take in still, even if it was turning out okay after all. But that’s what Vanellope was for.

“Um, Anna?” said Elsa. 

Anna blinked out of her daze. She found Elsa smiling at her, her face warm and red. Anna felt skin on her hand and look down. Without even realizing it she’d taken Elsa’s large, clawed hand in her own and was stroking the backside with her thumb. Anna yelped and withdrew her hand, blushing hard. 

“Excuse me, am I interrupting something?” came a voice from next to her. Anna turned to face the new speaker and her mouth dropped open. Standing before her was a massive, ethereal woman with great, black horns and wings the color of pitch blooming from her back. A small, green whiff of energy disappeared behind her.

“Uh,” Anna said, awestruck. Elsa chuckled.

“Anna, this is Maleficent, my contact in the Underworld.” She gestured to the new visitor. Anna couldn’t close her mouth. “Maleficent, this Anna, my foster daughter.”

Maleficent raised an eyebrow as her eyes darted between them but didn’t speak. Anna saw the faintest hint of a smirk on her face. Her eyes were darker than night and filled with the despair of staring into the void. Anna shivered. 

“Arendelle,” Maleficent said, “are you prepared to take responsibility for this girl if she spreads knowledge of us?” She spoke low, the threat evident to anyone who could hear. Anna’s heart quickened. She felt trapped, like the air around her was going to suddenly crush her. Anna shook, her hands clenching and unclenching.

Elsa hardened her voice. “Yes, of course,” she said, “without question.”

Maleficent smiled and turned to Elsa, her voice smooth as water. “That’s good to hear,” she said. “Now, then, business.” Maleficent snapped her fingers and a clipboard appeared from a green plume of smoke. Anna glanced at Elsa and gave her a look. “First, the corpse of your victim has been taken care of, the evidence and history of the woman all but erased.”

Anna bolted up, hands in fists. Her eyes were wide, the fear back again like a swarm of locusts. Elsa watched her rise and hunched forward, reaching for Anna’s wrist but missing.

“Anna, it’s not what you think!” she said, “I really haven’t killed anyone, Maleficent is just being a bitch.”

Anna turned to her, the panic flooding up to her face. She thought she might hyperventilate. 

“Oh, she didn’t tell her that part, yet? Apologies,” said Maleficent.

“Anna, I swear I’ve never killed anyone,” Elsa said, begging. She lowered her voice, “but I do have to eat human hearts to survive. I find people who are on the verge of death, wait for them to pass, then harvest from them.” Her voice broke. “If I don’t, I’ll die.”

Anna didn’t move. She trusted Elsa. She really did. But this was terrifying and macabre and she didn’t know what to think. “For what it’s worth,” said Maleficent, “she really hasn’t ever killed a human.” She sighed. “I keep trying to change her mind, but here we are. We’d cover for you if you ever did, Arendelle.”

Elsa whirled on the woman and roared at her, teeth bared and claws extended. Anna leapt back as the noise filled the room like thunder. Elsa stood on the bed, raised to her full height and vicious. Maleficent flicked her eyes to Elsa and smirked, teeth like nails. Anna heard rushing from outside the door. Gerda flung herself through the entrance, broom in hand, only to immediately shriek and fall backwards at the sight of Maleficent.

“Gerda,” Maleficent greeted her, professional as could be, “it’s been too long.”

“M-Maleficent.” Gerda shook head to toe. She tried to stand but slipped again, then remained on the floor.

Anna found Elsa’s gaze again and her foster mother flashed her a pleading look. Trust Elsa, her gut told her. Even the devil-woman was backing up her story. She’s okay, you’re okay, just anxiety. Lots of shit happening right now. Anna sat back down, slowly leaning her weight into the bed. She reached up to where Elsa stood on the bed and gripped her wrist. Anna measured her breathing, in and out, in and out. 

“Now then,” Maleficent said, returning to her clipboard. “You’ve done very well, Arendelle. That demon was a brute, but you managed just fine.” She flashed Elsa a smile. “I’m proud of you.” 

Elsa stiffened. “T-Thank you,” she said. Maleficent nodded at her.

“Where’s the body?” she asked.

“In the basement,” Elsa said, glancing down at Anna, “in storage.”

“Good. I’ll grab it on the way out.” She checked someone on her board. “Oh, were you followed back to the manor?”

“No.”

“Wonderful,” Maleficent said, scribbling a few notes. She looked back at Elsa, “is there anything else you need, Arendelle?” To Anna’s surprise, Maleficent’s horror was muted, a kindness fleeting over her expression.

“No,” said Elsa again, shaking her head. 

“Very well,” Maleficent said. She whisked her hand and a green portal sprung open behind her. “You have my number if you need me, to chat or to clean up a mess. I’ll be in touch when we need your help again.” She turned to go, then glanced back at Anna. “It was a pleasure to meet you, young Arendelle.” Anna flushed, feeling Elsa go stiff in her hand but unwilling to look up at her face. Maleficent chuckled to herself as she stepped through the wormhole and disappeared, the green energy spinning into a fixed point at its center and vanishing.

Anna let out a breath, not realizing she’d been holding it in. She trembled and was very thankful she was already sitting down. “I thought you loved cooking?” she asked Elsa, trying to make a joke. Elsa shook her head.

“I do, but I don’t actually need to eat anything other than hearts to subsist,” Elsa said. She grimaced. “It’s disgusting, I know. Gerda,” she addressed her maid, still on the floor, “would you mind checking the basement to make sure Maleficent actually took the corpse?”

Gerda scrambled to her feet. “Y-yes, of course.” She flew down the stairs. Anna heard several doors slamming.

“Is there a chance she wouldn’t take it?” She asked.

“Mal’s sense of humor is mischievous,” Elsa said, “she might.”

Finally, Anna turned her sore neck and looked up at Elsa, still standing on the bed. She gave the woman’s hand a slight tug. Elsa dropped and sat down next to Anna, the held tension in her back visibly slipping away. “I’m very sorry about that,” she said, “Maleficent is…something.”

“She’s your boss?”

Elsa laughed dryly. “More or less. She’s one of the demon Lords, and works directly for the Queen herself. Very important,” she said, glancing at Anna and smirking.

“Sorry I panicked,” said Anna. Elsa rested her hand on her knee, warm to the touch. Anna did her best not to rub her thighs together.

“It’s okay,” Elsa said, “It’s weird and disgusting, I understand. Should’ve said something earlier but I didn’t expect Mal to show up so soon.” She smiled at Anna, sheepish. “Sorry.”

Anna grinned. “Next time tell me the gross bits first, demon-woman.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes, I will.” Anna snickered.

“Really gotta set time aside to pick your brain and get myself up to speed.”

Elsa nodded. “That would be wise.”

Anna clicked her tongue, rocking back and forth on her hands. “I guess to start, do all demons eat human hearts?”

“No,” Elsa shook her head, “most demons reside in the Underworld, and eat the hearts of other demons.”

“Oh.” Somehow, that was more terrifying.

Elsa stuck out her tongue, repulsed. “It’s very, very violent down there.”

“Have you been?”

“A few times.”

Anna reached out and gripped Elsa’s hand again. “I’m glad you made it back okay,” she said. 

“Anna, it was years ago.”

“Still.” 

Elsa hummed and leaned in closer to Anna. “Thank you for being concerned,” she said. Anna barely repressed a squeal. 

“Of course.” Anna held Elsa’s hand tight, but to her surprise Elsa didn’t make a move to pull away. They sat there, sharing the space and breathing the same air. It was nice, Anna reflected. In a way, it was a relief to know now what Elsa was up to all the time. All the secrets out. Well, except…

“Is it okay that I told Vanellope?” Anna asked. 

“Do you trust her?” 

“Yes.”

“Then yes, “ Elsa said, “but you need to make sure she doesn’t spill a peep. You saw how Mal reacted.” Elsa shuddered, her tail whipping behind her.

“Okay.” Anna noticed water droplet begin to fall against the window once again. “Hey,” she said, “while we’re here, uh, having a heart to heart and stuff, well, about that first night…” She felt Elsa flinch in her grip again. “Bad timing?”

Elsa shook her head and found Anna’s eyes, doing her best to smile. “No, no, it’s okay. Um.” Elsa blinked, “I’m alright with you, well, needing physical affection, but. Uh.” Was she blushing? Elsa broke eye contact, unable to maintain it the connection. Her brow furrowed. “Just. Please ask next time. And don’t come into my bed.” Darn, Anna thought against her better judgment.

“Okay,” said Anna. “You’re not mad?”

“Not at all.”

“Good. Okay. No bed. Can do.” Anna shook their connected hands like it had been a business deal. Elsa snickered.

“U-Unless, well,” she began again, immediately drawing Anna’s interest. Elsa still couldn’t meet her eyes. Her voice was low, almost gravely. “If you’re having nightmares or just need reassurance, then it’s okay, but knock first.” Elsa inhaled, then let out a slow, long breath. “I-I’m your…your foster mother,” her voice was strained, “I said I would support you, and I will. If you need that, just ask.”

Anna nodded, her cheeks full of blood. Elsa flashed her a smile. She broke her hand out from under Anna’s and reached behind the girl to begin rubbing her back in slow circles up and down Anna’s spine. Anna sighed and leaned into the touch. Elsa began to hum again, though it sounded almost like purring.

Without a change in her expression, Elsa shrank. Her horns grew back into her head, her tail curled until it was gone. Her claws retracted, her fangs disappeared, and her blue skin changed like a chameleon back to her human flesh tone. Anna watched it like magic was being performed for her and her alone.

“Wow,” she said.

“Cool, right?” Elsa turned to her and grinned.

“And you can just. Do that. Whenever?”

“Yes!” Elsa stretched, cracking her back.

“Amazing. Vanellope is gonna flip,” Anna said, and they shared a laugh.

Then, from the first floor, Anna and Elsa heard Gerda calling them down for dinner.

“When did she have time to start that?” asked Anna. Elsa shrugged. They stood up from the bed and Anna felt a noticeable sense of loss when Elsa’s hand left her back. Elsa turned to face her, still tall and beautiful as could be, still worse for wear from her fight with heavy bags under her eyes. And yet, despite that, not a scar or gash could be found on her. Amazing. Anna entertained the idea of becoming a demon herself: tails, horns, healing factor? She wondered if there was a sign up sheet.

“Anna,” Elsa said as they left the room, “would you like to go to the coast this weekend?”

Anna cocked her head. “The coast? Like the actual coast?”

Elsa giggled. “Yes. I have an old house there we could stay in. I know you probably have a million other questions, and I want to be able to answer everything, no filter.” She glanced away. “Y-You deserve all of the truth. A road trip and a lazy stay on the beach away from everything might be just what we need.”

It was the dead of winter, but the first thing Anna imagined was Elsa in a bright blue two piece swimsuit, running up and down the beach, then returning in a bound and transforming into her demon form, before pinning Anna to a wall and—

“Yes, that sounds lovely,” Anna said, hiding her blush with a smile. “I love the idea.” Even if it was cold and they spent the whole time inside, Anna could still imagine and fantasize. And Elsa was right, she did have a dozen other questions. 

“Wonderful,” Elsa said, grinning, “we’ll leave after you get off school on Friday, then.”

Anna perked up, bouncing in her step as they descended the stairs. “Ooh, will you pick me up at school? I’ll get to show everyone how cool you are.”

Elsa threw her a sly look. “I think that can be arranged.”

Anna, feeling bold, looped her arm with Elsa’s as they walked to the kitchen. She smiled bashfully at her foster mother, who didn’t try to separate them, and then reached into her pocked for her phone to text Vanellope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> are you ready for a tension-filled beach adventure because i am


	6. Anna IV

My foster mother is a demon who eats human hearts, Anna thought. She’d tried not to longer on it. Really! But oh, was that a hard detail to ignore. The mental image of Elsa reaching into some poor sap’s dead chest and tearing out a still warm heart to chew on was. Distressing. Of all the things Elsa told her that day, the Underworld, the hunt, Maleficent, the eating thing was what stuck with Anna the most. 

Anna had often fantasized about kissing Elsa since meeting her, but could she kiss lips that ate human flesh? Maybe. Might become a non-issue if she tried to become a demon herself, ignoring for a second that she had no idea whether that was even possible.

It was Friday, and Anna walked with Rapunzel and Kristoff to the parking lot after the final bell rang. They were nearly out the door.

“The coast?” asked Rapunzel.

“Yeah,” Anna said, “Elsa is picking me up and we’re going to like, an old house of her family’s?” She twirled her hand in the air.

Kristoff raised an eyebrow. “It’s the dead of winter,” he said.

“She thought it would be a good bonding experience.” Not a lie? Anna had told Vanellope about Elsa, but she was her best friend; Anna had known her new friends for under a month. Even if they were to be brought under the shroud, Anna didn’t feel comfortable doing it yet. Besides, Elsa should probably have a say. It was her secret. 

“Do you have anything fun planned?” Rapunzel asked. She reached for the front door to push it open. 

“If she does, Elsa hasn’t said anything.” 

“Oooh, I’ll bet it’s a surprise!”

Kristoff clicked his tongue as they stepped through the door. “Maybe she’s waiting to seduce you,” he said.

Anna whirled on him. Her face lit up, teeth clattering together. “Um, hey,” she said, heart pounding. She began walking backwards, facing her friends as they strode across the lawn of dead grass. “That would be, uh, very inappropriate.” Her eyes found the ground and stayed there.

“Yeah, Kristoff,” Rapunzel chimed in, nudging his arm, “don’t be weird.” Anna met her eyes and Rapunzel stuck out her tongue at her brother. “Boys, right?” Anna smiled at her. 

“Yeah, you’re right. Sorry,” Kristoff said. But even as he backed down Anna caught the smirk on his face, the knowing look he gave her. Her eyes narrowed. He was playing her, gauging her reaction, she realized too late. Based on the way he was eyeing her, he probably suspected or even knew outright now. Damnit, Anna, wearing your lusts on your sleeve! She’d have to find a good way to get back at him.

“Are you going home first?” Rapunzel asked, “we could go get a bite before you head off.” She smiled, taking Anna’s hand in her own.

“I don’t think we’d have time,” Kristoff said.

“Huh?” Anna said.

“Turn around, silly.”

Anna turned to face the direction they were walking in, whirling on her heel like a dancer. She planted her feet and gaped. Elsa was standing on the curb by the school buses, leaning against a bright blue car resembling a spaceship that was no doubt worth more money than the school. She had her hands in her pockets, but pulled one out to smile and wave at Anna after she noticed her. Elsa was wearing an open blazer over a pristine white button up and slacks. Baby blue pumps wrapped around her feet, but left painted toenails of identical color exposed. How was she not cold?

Anna felt the heat rise again. She was at a loss for words. Elsa pulled out her phone, seemingly content to wait until Anna was ready. The student body was in awe around her foster mother, whispering amongst themselves and ogling her car, or, in some cases, Elsa herself. 

“Oh my god,” Anna finally said. Kristoff snickered. 

Rapunzel tugged Anna close, pushing her face up against her ear. She sounded bewildered. “That’s your foster mom? Holy shit, Anna!”

“Haha,” Anna managed, “yeah…”

“She’s so hot,” said Rapunzel.

I would like to agree with you but at this point I refuse to, thanks Kristoff. Anna shot him a look. He’d been prepared for something like this, hadn’t he?

“Hey,” she said to him, “how did you know what Elsa looks like?”

“Internet.”

Anna and Rapunzel leveled at him. “Did you Facebook stalk my foster mom?” Anna asked. 

Kristoff crossed his arms and grinned. “Stalk is such a strong word,” he said, “and she doesn’t have a Facebook.”

“Oh my god,” Anna said again. She looked back at Elsa, who hadn’t moved, and seemed almost content playing the role of eye candy. Anna had asked Elsa to pick her up so she could show her off, but this? She hadn’t expected so much pizazz. Anna sighed.

“Well, I think this is where I depart,” she said to her friends. Rapunzel grinned and hugged her, pulling her tight. 

“Have fun!” she said. Anna hugged her back and giggled as Rapunzel pulled away. “See you Monday!”

“Yup!”

“Don’t get in trouble,” Kristoff said, his smirk back. Anna grimaced. Doing her best not to make a scene, Anna strode up to her well dressed, rich, and impossibly hot demon foster mom in the most inconspicuous manner possible. Elsa smiled at her when she stopped.

“Hey,” she said, “ready to get on the road?”

Anna nodded. Elsa opened the trunk for her to store her backpack and Anna noticed a cooler and supplies, almost as if they were going camping. How long had it been since anyone visited the Arendelle beach house? Surely they wouldn’t need a gas powered stove.

Anna took her purse with her into the cab and noticed the student body gaping at her as she plopped into the passenger’s seat. First the new girl, now she was the rich girl with the hot mom. Or would they think Elsa was her older sister? How easily her role changed within the high school paradigm. Anna waved to Rapunzel and Kristoff as Elsa clicked the car on and revved the engine, letting the rumbling growl of the machine sing out across the parking lot. Anna frowned at her.

Elsa chuckled. “Too much?” she said.

“A little,” Anna replied. Elsa shifted into drive.

“I thought you wanted to show me off,” said Elsa. Anna pinked.

“I did in fact say that,” she conceded. Elsa laughed and hit the accelerator. They weaved around the school busses and sped off south towards the road. The highway would bend around the Sound, allowing them straight access to the coast once they were far down enough. The sky was already darkening as 4pm hit. 

Elsa’s spaceship car was easily the nicest vehicle Anna had ever been in. She bounced in the seat, relishing the touch of the soft leather. The interior smelled nice, like winter flowers floating on spring water. 

“I didn’t realize demons could drive,” Anna said. The industrial sector flew past her window. 

Elsa smiled, but didn’t take her eyes off the road. “I don’t know if that’s racist or speciest,” she said, “but I bet most demons would take issue.”

“Good thing they’re not here, then.” Anna settled into her seat. She glanced at Elsa and imagined human blood dripping down her chin, a corpse opened on the floor before her. Anna did her best to restrain her anxiety response, feeling in her toes the uptick in heartbeat. Elsa was scary, in a way. Scary and hot. 

When her foster mother didn’t reply to her quip, Anna scrambled for a way to banish the awkward air. “Do you have any music?” Anna asked.

“Sure. It’s all on CD, though. I don’t keep music on my phone.” Elsa gestured towards the armrest between them. Anna dove into it, leafing through cracked, ancient-looking CD’s. Quickly her smile became a frown.

“Do, do you only have classical in here?” 

Anna saw Elsa pout from the driver’s seat. “I like classical…”

“It’s fine! Really,” she said, backpedaling, “but I want to introduce you to something.” She’d been prepared for this, in a way. Anna dug into her purse and fished out the one CD she’d snagged for just this occasion. She still wasn’t entirely sure how to put music on her new phone. “Check this out!” she said.

“Anna, I’m driving.”

“I know.” 

Elsa grimaced and glanced over, eyes back on the road a split second afterwards. “My Chemical Romance?” she said, hesitant.

Anna grinned.

 

\--o—

 

It was black as pitch outside. They’d long since passed through the urban spawl and entered the rural forest. Deserted farms and misty parks marked the landscape around them, just barely visible in the headlights before flying behind them and disappearing into the night. Elsa liked MCR, as it turned out. Anna was relieved; she would have been ironically miffed if the fucking demon of all people didn’t take to Gerard Way’s sick voice. 

Winding through forest roads, Anna had coaxed Elsa into singing with her. She picked up the lyrics quickly. Her voice was beautiful, even when distracted by the road, and it took Anna a great deal of willpower not to lean over the seat and kiss her cheek as she drove and belted lyrics.

Elsa laughed after every song and glanced around her, as if she was making sure she hadn’t gravely messed up in front of her peers. But it was just Anna, and Anna loved Elsa’s singing too much to look for any sort of critique. They were having fun. Exchanging looks as they giggled over words and rhymes. When the CD ended the quiet returned, and Anna felt the need to speak amidst the unending blackness enveloping the car. She gave it a minute or two before speaking again, letting the silence sink in. Changing the pace.

“Hey,” Anna said, “is it okay if I ask you some stuff?” Might as well get the Q&A underway.

Elsa smiled, but didn’t look away from the road. “Sure,” she said, “As me anything.” Why do you eat humans?

“How does Maleficent call you if you’re here and she’s in the Underworld?”

“Magic,” said Elsa. 

“Ah. Do you have magic?” 

Elsa shook her head. “Not in the traditional sense. I can superfreeze water around my body, but that’s a function of my biology. Demon magic is more, like, “she released one hand from the wheel to swirl her fingers before her eyes, “portals, memory wiping, summoning, laser beams; that sort of thing.”

Anna nodded. Laser beams? She thought to herself, barely able to contain her curiosity. Anna imagined herself on a mountaintop, throwing kamehameha’s at clouds and cackling. “So you can’t make portals like Maleficent can, then?” 

“No. That’s magic.”

“Why can’t you cast magic?” Anna almost regretted her words as she watched the pain contort Elsa’s face. But oh, did she want that answer.

“I’m not full-blooded,” Elsa said.

Anna crossed her arms. “Maleficent mentioned that. How does that work?” The sky opened up above them and, through her window, Anna noticed the stars. It’d been months since she’d seen them; they were invisible amidst the light pollution.

“Over a hundred years ago, my ancestor got ahold of summoning instructions for a powerful demon Lord. She summoned him, and then, uh.” Elsa blushed. Anna watched her face, a smile breaking out, “well, they had a, uh, a child.” Elsa coughed into one hand. “From that child, a bloodline of half-bloods was created. The same blood is in me, hence my nature. Using our secret abilities, my family accumulated wealth and power. My mother was just like me.” She smiled, lost in memory. “My father almost had a heart attack when she told him. Showed him, really.” 

“So when you told me your family had really bad in-fighting…” Anna trailed off, able to make the conclusions herself.

“Civil war,” Elsa confirmed. “If any of them are still alive, I haven’t seen them since I was a kid.” Her grip on the steering wheel tightened. Anna leaned away before she realized she was even doing it.

“I’m sorry.” Anna looked back out the window. The trees were thinning. In the darkness she saw a vision of Elsa in her demon form, hunched over with eyes of black obsidian. Her snout was buried in Anna’s ribs, seen in third person. Anna shook her head, paling. Open book, she thought. Right? 

“Um,” she began again, “I don’t, well…”

“What is it?” 

“I don’t know if it’s okay to ask.”

“Ask.”

“How often do you need to feed?” Anna said, gripping her shirt in her hands. She kept her eyes outside, unwilling to see Elsa’s expression. Her foster mother was silent a moment. They took a long, gradual left turn, and Anna realized they were now driving parallel with the coast. The ocean was infinite and dark, blurring at the horizon line with the night sky. 

“Once every two weeks is optimal,” Elsa said, “but I can do once a month if I need to.” 

Anna turned back to face her. “If you hold off, does it make you bloodlusty? Like a vampire?” Elsa glanced at her and smirked, a laugh escaping her lips.

“What?” she said, “No, not at all. It just makes me grumpy.” 

“Oh.” Anna sighed, “well, that’s good news.”

“Worried I might eat you?” Elsa asked. I really, really want you to eat me, but not in the way you mean, Anna thought. She wondered if demon tongues were longer than human ones.

“Maybe a bit,” she said.

“I’ll never hurt you,” said Elsa, “doesn’t mean much coming from a demon, I know, but I mean it. Never hurt any of my other charges, if that helps.”

Anna nodded, and believed her. If Elsa was just a big, grumpy demon kitty when she hadn’t eaten, that made things worlds easier. “You don’t go on rampages or anything?” 

“Never. I don’t lose control.” Anna almost felt silly for assuming otherwise, but. Demon and all.

“Okay.” Anna let herself smile. She watched the trees again. The vision remained, but it changed, less blood. “It’s kind of awful that you have to live that way. Is that okay for me to say?”

“Yes,” said Elsa, “I don’t like it one bit, to be truthful.”

“Can I watch next time?” Anna asked. 

Her foster mother whirled on her, eyes wide. She was blushing, bright red streaking up her face. Anna paused. Elsa shook her head, remembering herself, and returned her eyes to the road. “W-What do you mean?” she asked.

“You feeding.” Anna said. “It scares me, but I don’t want to be scared of it. Of you.” Elsa’s shoulder dropped as she spoke, the tension leaving her. “Show me. Ground it in reality for me so I can see you and don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

Elsa’s eyes hardened, her blush gone. “It’s not pretty.”

“I know,” she looked down, “sorry, should I not have asked that?”

“It’s okay. If you’re sure, we can go together next time,” Elsa said, “but I’m afraid it could be more scarring than what you’re imagining it’s like.

Anna glanced out the window. “I doubt it.” She watched the stars. “I’m sorry I started our question and answer vacation with the hard ones,” she said.

“It’s okay. Whatever you need.”

“I’m still sorry.”

Anna heard more than saw Elsa smile. “Thank you,” she said.

They drove another few miles, and then Elsa turned onto a rough, unpaved driveway. Anna bumped in her seat as they ascended a hill buried behind trees. After a moment, the brush cleared, and Anna spied an old cottage silhouetted against the faint light of the horizon. Elsa stopped the car and undid her seatbelt.

“We’re here,” she said. Anna nodded, unable to take her eyes off the house.

Anna and Elsa emptied the car, hauling food and blankets and phone chargers up to the porch. The wind bit them, cold and frigid off the sea. Anna couldn’t get a good look at the building, it was too dark, but could tell it was fairly small, and only one story. It sat over a cliff leading down to the beach, invisible in the night. 

Elsa didn’t seem to have a problem seeing, and found the key to the door on the first try. The heavy wood swung open, and Anna was hit with the smell of pine and age. They hauled their belongings into an entryway that opened into a living room and kitchen with a floor to ceiling window. A hallway reached out in front of the door, leading back to the bedrooms, no doubt. Sheets covered the living room furniture, which Anna quickly took to stripping off. She coughed on the dust. Elsa giggled, then disappeared down the hall.

Nothing was ancient. The furniture was old but well kept; there was a flat screen TV with a DVR box on an entertainment stand, and the kitchen seemed to be stocking all the necessary utensils. The walls were adorned with relics. Swords crossed in a coat of arms, hundred year old photographs of dead rich people walking on the beach. The bookcases were filled with musty books very much alike those in Elsa’s room in the manor. Nothing in the small cottage screamed ‘demon family,’ which took Anna by surprise. This far away from anyone, she swore she’d surely find a pair of demon horns or something on the wall, hung like an elk’s. Off in the distance, Anna could hear waves lapping against the sandy shore.

Elsa returned from the hallway and stepped up next to Anna. “Is it okay?” she asked, fidgeting.

Anna turned to her and smiled. “Actually,” she said, “I kind of love it.” Elsa sighed in relief and smiled at her, gently resting a hand on Anna’s shoulder.

“I’m glad,” she said. She squeezed and removed her hand, much to Anna’s disappointment, then gestured down the hallway. “There’s two bedrooms down there, a master and a guest room, and the couch is also technically a bed but we won’t need it. The bathroom and basement are that way too.”

“Basement?” Anna asked, “like, a basement-basement, or a creepy serial killer demon basement?”

Elsa frowned and crossed her arms. “If you’re so curious you can go see the horrible, serial killer lawn mower if it pleases you. It doesn’t bite.” Anna sniggered. 

“You know what,” she said, lifting her bags to deliver them to her room, “I think I will.” Elsa smirked.

“Dinner will be ready in a bit, I just need to throw a few things in the oven.” 

“Okay!” Anna strode down the hallway as Elsa got into her zen behind the kitchen counter. She heard the cooler pop open behind her.

Her room was small, but cozy. A simple queen bed took up most of the space, leaving room for only a bedside table and a walk in closet. Photographs of landscapes covered the walls. 

What really caught Anna, though, was the stuffed snowman resting on one of the bed pillows. She dropped her bags and picked it up, though quickly feared it would fall apart in her hands. Tears and rips covered the outside, and the poor baby was missing one eye. Well loved, Anna thought. She found the tag, and, to her delight, saw the name ‘Elsa’ written in chunky, childish letters across it.

Elsa came here as a child, Anna thought. She imagined baby demon Elsa running on the sand in the sun with her parents, laughing, only to have them torn away from her by in fighting and crime. Anna sighed. 

She set the snowman back on the pillow and left the room. She explored further down the hall, away from the kitchen where she heard Elsa humming to herself. Black Parade? Yes. Anna found Elsa’s room, nearly triple the size of her own, with somehow an even bigger bed. Then, all the way at the back of the hallway, off to one corner, the basement door.

Anna pried the door open. It screamed on rusted hinges. A stone spiral staircase descended down and out of view. Anna gulped. She flicked the light switch and descended.

The stairs went deeper than they should have and Anna thought several times she was dreaming. When she reached the bottom, the smell of the ocean was much more immediate. She flicked on the next light switch. A wide, stone walled room opened up before her. To her left she saw another door with a small window in the center, and beyond it Anna could see the ocean. The basement was on level with the beach, cut into the cliff. How? Why? Dust covered everything. In the corner, Anna did in fact see a lawn mower, as well as several other tools. On a shelf behind them she spied an old toy bucket and shovel. Most of the space, however, was filled with musty blankets and cushions. The ground was concrete, so no doubt they’d been spread out before to cover it. Was this the event room? Anna couldn’t help but imagine a beach slumber party and grin.

She walked towards the wall facing the door to the beach and noticed that the blankets were stacked on a large, moth eaten couch buried slightly under them. It was bigger than any couch she’d ever seen. Since she was full snooping now, Anna began rooting around. 

In a box beside the blankets, Anna found a dozen different jars holding all sorts of plants and herbs. Most she’d never seen before. She pushed them aside to dig deeper and her hand hit a bag. Curious, she tugged it up and out, mushing the jars to the side. She hoped it wasn’t body parts.

When Anna peered inside, she instead found over a hundred unopened condoms. Her mind blanked for a moment, and she saw birds clicking at a remote control. Anna dropped the bag to the ground. The condoms were ancient, still held in packaging from nearly two decades past. Had Anna accidently found the fuck dungeon of Elsa’s demon ancestors? Suddenly she was wary of the big couch and all those beds upstairs. Did Elsa even know what this room might have been for?

Anna shook her head. She picked the bag back up and returned it to the box, then organized the jars. Maybe it was a recent thing. Maybe Elsa’s mom and dad liked getting freaky in the basement, and kept their condoms here just in case. Maybe.

Anna scampered back up the stairs, turning off the lights and slamming the basement door behind her. 

“Anna?” Elsa called from down the hall.

“Yeah?” she replied, out of breath from sprinting up 100 feet of stairs. 

“Dinner’s ready.” Anna could hear plates being set out. “Are you okay?”

“Yup!” Anna dashed to the bathroom and washed her hands, caught her breath, then made her way to the kitchen.

“How was the basement?” Elsa asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “Did the lawn mower spook you?” She chuckled, amused by her own joke. 

“Yeah,” Anna said, “it’s legit creepy down there.” Elsa smiled and handed her a plate of fish and roasted vegetables. “Kinda weird, tho. Seemed more like a rec room than anything. What was it used for back in the day?”

Elsa stopped, her hands just about to grab her own plate. Anna saw her swallowed air, then blush ever so slightly. “I-I’m not sure,” she said, unable to meet Anna’s eyes, “I never went down there, but I think my parents held parties.” 

Oh god, it was her parents’ orgy dungeon! She nearly broke trying to contain her cackling. Anna walked with Elsa to the couch facing the TV and sat down, grinning. And Elsa knew, too! Anna didn’t say anything, not wanting to make her foster mother any more uncomfortable by pursuing the subject. A fuck cave, though? Rich people, seriously. Anna shook her head and made a mental note to text Vanellope about it.

“I hope it’s okay that we eat in front of the TV,” Elsa said, “I was hoping we could watch a movie together?”

Anna bounced in her seat between bites of food. “Oh, oh!” She said, “Vampire Hunter D!”

Elsa frowned. “I don’t have that.”

“Do you have wifi here and an HDMI cable?”

“Yes.” 

Anna puffed up and crossed her arms, waggling her eyebrows at Elsa. “Leave it to me, then, babycakes,” she said. 

In just minutes, Anna was torrenting Vampire Hunter D onto Elsa’s shiny laptop. Elsa frowned at her, but didn’t comment. The girl plugged the computer into the TV with a triumphant cry, blowing up the image to fit the massive scale.

Elsa was enamored. Anna snickered at her foster mom as she leaned forward in her seat, watching as D cut through a hundred demons with his big fucking anime sword. Their dinner disappeared quick, replaced by Elsa gesturing at the screen and exclaiming at her every 10 minutes.

“This is so cool!” she said, “I get why you wanted me to watch this!” Anna laughed. She was full, warm, and watching one of her favorite movies with her hot mom crush in an isolated cottage by the sea. She felt confident. Anna leaned into Elsa, resting her head on Elsa’s shoulder. Please don’t be too much, she thought. They’d talked about intimacy, hadn’t they? She was asking, right? Just. Nonverbally. Anna wasn’t sure that was strictly okay. Her foster mom stiffened, but after a moment reached around Anna’s shoulders and began to stroke her hair in return. Anna squealed, a pleased fire in her chest.

When the film was over Anna started up The Incredibles, another masterwork missing from Elsa’s cultural knowledge. However, Elsa kicked her feet up onto the cushions and lied all the way back while Anna was up. She stretched over the couch and propped up on a fluffy pillow covered in leaf patterns, making a contented guttural noise as she settled. Anna didn’t see a place for her to sit, and worried until Elsa opened her arms for Anna to lie down between her legs and lean against her chest.

Elsa was blushing, a small smile on her lips as she invited Anna to cuddle her. How could Anna say no? She didn’t want anything else. The girl eased her way into Elsa’s lap, lying down and resting her head on the woman’s collarbone. Elsa settled her hands on Anna’s back and began to rub, breaking up the monotony here and there with scratches.

Anna sighed into the embrace, and held her arms tight around Elsa’s waist. They were setting the new status quo, she realized, in both demon matters and interpersonal ones. It would be so easy to tilt her head up and kiss Elsa. This lonely adventure by the sea might have been a bad idea, Anna realized, but at the moment she couldn’t care less. Her eyes drooped as the heroes on screen fought off the hovercraft buzzsaw thingies. Anna followed the sound of Elsa’s breath, slow and steady, and let her eyes close. Sooner than expected, she was asleep in the woman’s embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: demon form adventures and more lust


	7. Anna V & Elsa III

Even in her sleep, Anna could hear the push and pull of the tide outside the house. Waves lapped against the shore and resounded like the echoes of a powerful heartbeat. She dreamt of the depths beyond reach, the infinite blackness of the endless sea.

Anna blinked her eyes open. She was groggy, and reached up to wipe the dreams from her eyes, but stopped when she felt warm breath on her hair. She’d forgotten about the couch.

She was cradled in Elsa’s arms, but Elsa’s skin wasn’t its normal hue. Her foster mother sank deep into the couch under her, blue skin glowing in the hazy morning glow. Her horns jutted into the small table just beyond the armrest. Anna slapped her hand to her mouth to hold down giggles as Elsa’s fur-tipped tail caressed her exposed feet, apparently moving of its own volition even as Elsa slept.

Anna bit back the fear and embarrassment. She dared not move, as unwilling to rearrange Elsa as she would be were a cat sitting in her lap instead of her hot foster mom sleeping under her. Anna didn’t want to deal with the aftermath of their mutual mistake. Had it even been a mistake? Anna imagined Elsa fidgeting with her red hair as she slept, contemplating whether to leave Anna be and sleep together on the couch or find a way to move her. Elsa had let herself fall asleep, one way or another. Did it mean anything?

Perhaps Anna could run, escape from the sleeping demon’s embrace, but that would be the opposite of helpful. Might as well face the music and wait for Elsa to wake up. She promised to be open. They were both adults, right? She wished. 

Besides, Anna wasn’t about to throw away a chance to drink in her foster mother’s sexy demon form. Anna smirked and drew a strand of loose hair behind her ear. She pushed herself up slightly to get a better view, Elsa still breathing softly between her arms. 

The woman was always gorgeous, but she was especially so with all the worry smoothed from her face. She was taller in her demon form, too. Anna wasn’t quite sure how that worked, but wasn’t about to complain. 

Everything about Elsa seemed bigger when she was like this. Her shoulders wider, her breasts fuller, her arms corded with lean muscle that definitely wasn’t there before. Stronger, more capable. Anna glanced downward, following the curve of Elsa’s hip to where her thighs would be right under Anna’s pelvis. If everything was bigger, well. Anna saw herself in a den of blankets and candles, straddling Elsa’s lap, her foster mother kissing her as she entered Anna, stretching the girl wide, their breaths and sweat mixing like sugar and honey.

Anna was saved from her imaginings by the rumble of her phone on the coffee table. She shook her head and reached for it. Any distraction would suffice if it meant she didn’t become erect while sprawled atop the very object of her inappropriate lust.

Vanellope: anna anna wake up banana  
Anna: that doesn’t rhyme :p  
Vanellope: bnch  
Vannelope: mornin gawrgeous wat’s happning  
Anna: well  
Anna: im on top of elsa  
Vanellope: SHIT  
Vanellope: babygirl u textin me whil ridin demondick  
Anna: no  
Anna: no no no V  
Anna: god  
Anna: if i did that i’d get my phone sticky  
Vanellope: OHOHOHOHOHO  
Vanellope: HO  
Anna: elsa and i fell asleep on the couch toghether last night  
Anna: shes still asleep  
Vanellope: oh fuc  
Vannelope: pics  
Anna: cant  
Vanellope: oh shit shes demon’d up?? and u slept in her arms all princessy?? fuck girl that’s hot  
Vanellope: quick does she have wood  
Vanellope: how big is that sweet salty demon cocc

Anna groaned and rubbed her face, unable to suppress a smirk.

Anna: u have the craziest timing i was just wondering that myself  
Vanellope: mmmm i can imagine it  
Anna: are u imagining a bad dragon dildo  
Anna: u know its prolly not like that right  
Anna: she doesn’t change much, just gets hotter and horns/tail  
Vanellope: but u don KNOW its not like a bad dragon  
Vanellope: oh stretch me, ms arendelle  
Vanellope: cant wait to meet her  
Anna: no no no  
Anna: that cant happen  
Vanellope: worried ill nab ur girl? ;3c  
Anna: im terrified u’ll scandalize urself (and therefore me) in front o her  
Vanellope: alas, it tru  
Vanellope: tol girls give me the vapors something dreadful  
Vanellope: o, excuse me while i fan mself  
Anna: if her cock is as big as ur hoping she’d destroy u  
Vanellope: oh god im even wetter now  
Vanellope: unf  
Anna: ah kno u freaky girlie ;)  
Vanellope: ;)  
Vanellope: so bbygirl wats ur battleplan  
Anna: for getting up  
Anna: ?  
Anna: i needa figure how to handle this convo when els wakes  
Vanellope: for GETTING THAT DICC GIRL  
Vanellope: ur already in a space that i think most would call “beyond the normal limits of a parent/child thing”  
Vanellope: ur cuddlin  
Vanellope: u SLEPT TOGETHER  
Anna: well  
Vanellope: u know what i mean! shush  
Anna: shushed, mistress :x  
Vanellope: NAUGHTY girlie ;;;;)  
Anna: ;P  
Vanellope: so whats the strat  
Anna: no strat  
Vanellope: oh come on  
Anna: shes my foster mom V  
Anna: and shes like 10 years older than me  
Anna: she would get in crazy legal trouble if we did anything  
Anna: even tho i really want to  
Anna: :(  
Vanellope: tru  
Vanellope: i mean i assumed itd be hella consensual  
Vanellope: and she like, mad rich and wily. i bet u could get away with it  
Anna: even then  
Anna: i feel bad that i even want her  
Vanellope: fine  
Vanellope: wait then  
Vanellope: shit aint illegal when u turn 18  
Anna: still creepy but in another way  
Vanellope: ur tyin my hands of advice here, A. gimme something to work with  
Anna: sorry  
Vanellope: no sorry!!  
Vanellope: were in this together, two queers commiting crimes!!!  
Vanellope: fuck the capitalist system!!  
Vanellope: i stole taffy yesterday :3  
Vanellope: comit crimes w/ me!  
Anna: like statutory rape?  
Vanellope: well technically elsa would be doin the commitin there  
Vanellope: u’d be “THE VICTIM,” even if u said u wanted it  
Anna: nooo oh god i just  
Anna: i dunno if i could do that to her  
Anna: take that risk  
Anna: its such a bad idea V  
Vanellope: ur call  
Vanellope: i got your back every step of the way, Anna, even if i think u should just go for it  
Anna: shed go to jail!!!  
Vanellope: and she a badass sexy fucking demon monster  
Vanellope and again, $$$  
Vanellope: do u really think  
Vanellope: she couldnt find a way around it  
Anna: but  
Vanellope: bb tell me ur not suddenly not down for crimes  
Anna: cmon mean  
Anna: i am so down for crimes  
Vanellope: theres my girl  
Anna: just maybe not this crime  
Vanellope: SIGH  
Vanellope: I GUESS

Anna startled as Elsa stirred beneath her. The woman groaned and reached up to her face to rub her eyes and forehead. 

Anna: the queen  
Anna: she doth waketh  
Anna: gotta go  
Vanellope: dont let me keep ya  
Vanellope: ILU bb  
Vanellope: i hope it goes well  
Anna: me too. love you!!  
Anna: <3 <3 <3  
Vanellope: <3

Anna clicked her phone off. She was grateful for Vanellope, and had been every day since they’d met, even if the girl didn’t always have the most recommendable advice. Elsa blinked and looked up at her.

Anna watched the realization wash over her foster mother like the tide. Heat and red tint burned up Elsa’s face and she scrambled, pulling herself into a sitting position on the couch. Anna wished she hadn’t. Anna had been sprawled on her, so when Elsa sat up Anna found herself straddling her demon mom’s lap.

“Anna,” Elsa said, her mouth a forced straight line. Anna noticed she was sitting on her hands. She almost wanted to stay, force the issue, maybe grind down against Elsa’s groin. Get that cock warmed up and poking hard against her ass.

Anna backed off, settling in a seated position against the opposite armrest with her legs crossed. She focused on the sound of the ocean, willing her mind not to imagine her mouth suckling Elsa’s hard tip. What did demon come taste like?

“H-Hey,” said Elsa.

“Good morning,” Anna said. She made herself smile. Elsa smiled tentatively and Anna saw the tension leave her shoulders.

“Good morning,” she replied, “I’m sorry about, well, this.” She glanced at the coffee table as she gestured to the couch. Anna smiled.

“It’s okay,” she said, “you were very warm. Not a bad replacement bed, if I say so myself.” Elsa giggled, but wouldn’t meet Anna’s eyes.

“I’m glad.”

“It’s fine that you let me sleep on you, Elsa.

Elsa blushed. “It feels hypocritical,” she said, “We broke the set boundaries. I was the one who asked you not to come find me at night unless you were in a rough spot.” She sighed and rubbed her knuckles, eyes examining the tips of her claws. “But then I couldn’t send you to bed. I should have.”

“I’m good with it.” Anna frowned. “It’s okay.”

“I’m your surrogate mother. I don’t think mothers and their teenage daughters sleep together on the couch.” 

“I’m sure some do,” Anna challenged, prodding the issue against her better judgment, “was it, like, weird for you or something?” She found the elephant in the room and shot it. If she wasn’t careful, she might clue Elsa in without meaning to. Then everything would fall apart. She’d be forced to find a new parent. She’d be hated again. Anna couldn’t have that. But it was so, so hard not to acknowledge her feelings. 

Elsa didn’t have a response. She sat on her hands again, her tail tensing behind her as if it was channeling the stress of her entire body. Anna waited. When Elsa finally met her eyes, Anna was startled to find pain and longing. Elsa was restraining herself, concealing something, burying emotions deep inside. It was a look Anna was familiar with.

“Weird how?” Elsa asked, her voice low. It was Anna’s turn to blush. Elsa had put her on the spot, and, well, wait what was that look?

“Nevermind,” Anna said, shaking her head, “but for future reference, I’m totally okay with the snuggling and the sleeping and well. All of it.” Elsa’s mouth dropped open, and Anna had to quickly think over her words to catch why. She groaned when she realized what she’d said. That whole sentence came out wrong and she prayed Elsa wouldn’t prod it. Anna was already terrified that Elsa suspected.

“Okay, if you’re sure,” Elsa said finally. 

Anna nodded. “Sure as sugar cane!”

Elsa smiled. “I take then it’s also okay for me to be in this form around you casually?” She glanced up at her horns, tail wagging behind her. “I usually shift automatically into my demon form when I’m asleep. Just want to check.”

“Of course! I kinda almost prefer this form!” said Anna.

Elsa pinked. “Oh?”

“It’s just so cool!”

Elsa smiled and looked back down at her hands. “Yes, I suppose it is.”

Elsa made breakfast as the sun rose further into the sky. Anna crawled to the bathroom while Elsa worked, combing down her great hair tangle and taking her meds. She tossed off her clothes and showered, her fingers drifting to her sex more than once. Anna cradled her cock in her hands and stroked in time with her imagination. Couldn’t take too long, couldn’t let Elsa figure out what she was doing.

When she was done, Anna braided her hair and rooted through her travel bag for something weather appropriate. She settled on a graphic tee and flannel with jeans. Casual. Gay. The epitome of fashion. She had a coat if she needed it, though she hoped today wouldn’t be cold enough to freeze through bone. Yeah, right.

“These are the best eggs I’ve ever had,” Anna said as she dug into breakfast.

“You say that every time I make you eggs,” said Elsa.

“That’s because they’re better every time!” Elsa snorted and began to laugh at Anna. “I’m serious!” Anna watched Elsa eat for a moment and tried not to imagine her eating a beating human heart with a fork and knife. A shiver flew up her spine.

As it turned out, it wasn’t horrendous outside. Warmer than usual for the time of year, even. Anna still bundled up in two coats and gloves before she and Elsa left the house and descended the wooden stairs to the beach. They were rickety from lack of use and worn down by the wind and sand.

The coast extended beyond the line of sight in either direction. Empty, as far as the eye could see. Not another person for miles. Elsa remained in her demon form as they reached the sand. Grey, dark waters ate at the shore, taking the land into itself in slow motion. Massive spires of rock rose out of the fog beyond the waves like mountains in a Chinese ink painting. The wind pushed and pulled the women as they began to walk north, slow and steady into the wind. 

Anna stole glances as they walked, adoring the smile on Elsa’s face.

“What?” Elsa asked, noticing.

“You look so happy. It’s really nice to see,” said Anna. Elsa pinked.

“I used to play out here with my family,” she said. She reached down to pick up a sand dollar, twirling it in her hands. “I built the biggest castles with my parents. My cousins.”

“Was it always safe for them to be out as demons here?”

Elsa smirked. “That’s why they picked this spot, I think,” she said, “those of us who carried the demon blood were allowed to run free, so to speak.” She laughed. “I remember my mother, usually a head shorter than my father, teasing him in her demon form when she stood two feet taller than him.”

Anna’s eyes widened. “Whoa,” she said.

“The amount that we change when we transform varies from person to person.”

Anna sniggered and imagined Elsa’s parents smiling and bantering on the beach like newlyweds. Baby Elsa ran ahead, toy shovel and bucket in hand. “I bet they were very cute,” said said.

“The cutest,” Elsa tossed the sand dollar into the waves, “My dad took to it quite well, but you should have seen some of my human aunts and uncles.” 

“Ooh. Do tell.”

Elsa clicked her tongue. “To be fair, I imagine it can be hard to feel welcome in a family when half the members are literal demons.”

“Eh,” Anna said, shrugging, “I managed.” 

Elsa glanced at her, and the pain was back in her eyes like a dart just thrown. Memories?

“Sorry,” Anna said.

“It’s okay.” Elsa glanced at the sky. “I’m feeling a lot of things right now,” she said, frowning.

It might have been her conversation with Vanellope, it might have been the sudden burn in her chest, but in that moment Anna felt brave, and protective. She took Elsa’s hand in her own and didn’t bother to ask. She didn’t look when Elsa tensed, an undignified squeal escaping from her lips. If she looked, the courage might fade. 

Lust or no, Anna cared for Elsa deeply. She couldn’t push aside the instinct, the need, to reassure. Not with Elsa. They were too alike.

When Elsa squeezed Anna’s hand and didn’t let go, Anna let the tense air out of her lungs. She turned to Elsa and found the woman smiling at her, eyes warm, a look that sent shivers up her back. At least flirting wasn’t illegal.

 

\--o--

 

“Can you swim?” Anna asked, gesturing at the gloomy winter water. They were walking south, returning to the cottage after venturing north as far as they dared.

“It’s winter.” Elsa said. She stretched as they walked, loosening her joints and aches as morning rode on. Her hand was clasped in Anna’s despite her conscience telling her to let go.

“Can you though?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, but, like,” Anna moved her arms in a wide swimming motion, grinning, “does being a demon make you swim better?” She jerked her head at Elsa’s tail, “with the tail and the big feet and stuff?”

“Yes, it helps,” Elsa affirmed, remembering her trip to the sea nearly a decade past. The smell of the salt water, the terrifying, infinite blue under her feet, and the hands of the captain on her thighs. Elsa tried not to focus on that as her young charge bounced with joy before her.

“Oh sweet!” Anna said, “will you show me?”

Elsa cocked her eye at the girl, amused. “You want to see me swim?”

Their adventure, so far, had been a rush. The increased intimacy was in no way unwanted, but Elsa worried she’d already long crossed the point of no return in their mother-daughter relationship. Not that they’d ever had one. No, they were something altogether different. Anna fell asleep in Elsa arms, and Elsa hadn’t had the heart to move her. She was so beautiful, so peaceful. How could Elsa do anything but allow her to remain? A mistake.

Anna held Elsa’s hand like she was afraid Elsa would be caught up by the roaring sea and dragged off to somewhere alien and unknowable. Twice already Elsa had been caught in the branching threads of her memory and thoughts only to come back to Earth and realize again she was holding hands with Anna. She turned her head to hide a blush each time.

Elsa would answer any question Anna asked as promised. But she hoped Anna wouldn’t ask her how she truly felt, for in the process of revealing the truth they might be torn apart forever. Would Anna think her disgusting? Run from her? How could she not? Elsa asked herself even as another piece of her began to suspect that she might not be the only one who caught lust. And feelings. Or, perhaps Anna was just physically affectionate, and Elsa was depraved for interpreting it any other way. She shook her head. 

Elsa hoped Anna wouldn’t ask about their relationship, or what exactly the basement had been made for. A blush crept up her cheeks as the memory of her parents explaining it to her flooded back. Someday, you’ll need a secluded place where sound can’t escape, they told her, a place you’ll want to share with someone special. You’ll see. Don’t worry until then.

Oh, mother, father, she was all too aware now. Elsa made eye contact with Anna, letting her gaze fall from the tumbling, cloudy textures of the grimacing sky. “I suppose I could show you how I swim,” Elsa said, “but I won’t do it for free.” She grinned, testing.

“What?” Anna said. Elsa swore she pinked at the mere suggestion. Was her charge as naughty as she? Elsa hoped. “Like what, you want me to pay you?”

“Of course not. But you have to do the dishes tonight.”

“No!” Anna stopped, aghast, and let Elsa’s hand go.

“And I want a back rub.” Elsa teased again, prodding her ward and paying close attention. She needed to know, she realized, needed to chase her hunch. It wasn’t making a move to gauge reactions, was it? Don’t come on too strong, Esla.

Anna didn’t protest. The girl blushed, averting her eyes and crossing her arms. “S-Sure,” Anna said, “I’ll rub your back.”

Not reassuring, Elsa thought. She made Anna blush. Was the thought of simple touch all it took? Elsa’s conscience cringed as her lust rose up in her throat. She imagined Anna beneath her as she endured the worst of her heat, broken shambles of a bedframe under the squeaking mattress below them. Elsa saw her cock glide into Anna and fill the girl to the hilt. She imagined the tight warmth of it, the gasps Anna would make. Elsa would push a finger into the girl’s open mouth for her to suck as she filled her foster daughter with her come. 

It’d been too long since she’d had a partner to help her through a heat, she reflected. It could never be Anna. She’d need to remember to check her calendar and schedule a trip for the duration. Get Anna and Gerda both far, far away.

“Then it’s settled,” Elsa said, turning towards the shore.

“Y-Yeah,” Anna replied, eyes on the ground.

“You might want to turn around.” Elsa didn’t dare look at Anna as she found the hem of her shirt. “I’m not swimming in my clothes.” She wouldn’t get them wet; she didn’t actually bring many spares. She also wanted to push Anna some more. 

Elsa shucked her shirt and pants amidst the sputtering of her ward. She didn’t quite make out what Anna was saying; it couldn’t have been anything coherent. Thankfully, she hadn’t been wearing anything too scandalous. White, matching bra and panties with minimal patterning in the style of snowflakes. Not the lace she’d packed, thank god. Stripped down to her underwear, heavy tail whipping in the air behind her, Elsa hazarded a look back at Anna. The girl was redder than crimson paint, hands clasped behind her back, eyes dancing frantically between the sand and Elsa’s body. It didn’t mean anything, she told herself. She could just be embarrassed, doesn’t mean she fancies you. Elsa’s conscience barked suddenly, bearing down. Stop it you monster, it said, she’s your responsibility. Your daughter.

Elsa sprinted, 0 to 40 in the blink of an eye. Water flew in her wake as she tore through the surf and dove into an oncoming wave. She speared the foam, barely losing speed as she shot out towards the open ocean. The ocean floor fell out under her and Elsa glimpsed the inky blackness below, threatening to swallow the world if woken. She swam in circles up and down the shore, and breached when she’d gained enough speed, flinging herself 10 feet into the air before plunging back down into the cold. After three passes, she darted back towards Anna, exploding from the surf just meters from the sand. She was panting, ragged. Her arms and legs burned hot with use.

Elsa met Anna’s eyes as she strode out of the waves, drops of water glistening on her wet hair and taught muscle. She was waving her hips just a little more than necessary as she approached her dumbstruck charge, unable to help herself. She felt hot, and she knew she shouldn’t. Not like this. Elsa stopped feet in front of Anna, and realized far too late from the look on the girl’s face that her white underwear had become see-through from the water. She crossed her arms and looked away, doing her best to pretend she didn’t notice. 

“How was that?” Elsa asked, forcing herself to grin, exuding a casualness she didn’t feel. 

Anna looked her dead in the eye. “You’re amazing,” she said without hesitation, a fire burning in the girl’s face. 

Elsa didn’t quite know how to answer that without escalating. Her tests were backfiring and she was getting riled up, tempted at every corner to push further. The air between them felt like it would ignite at the smallest spark. “Thank you,” she finally said, still not looking at Anna. Anna’s intensity didn’t mean anything. Not like she was hoping, it couldn’t. Even when faced with evidence that her ward might fancy her, Elsa refused to see it as such.

The water rolled behind them, framing them against the infinite horizon. Elsa listened for the gulls but heard nothing. It was as if all life had been too afraid to fly, grounded with hesitation, guided by instinct. 

“Um, well,” said Elsa, trying to collect her thoughts. How could she do something like this? Put Anna on the spot and force her to look at her nearly naked body? She swore she wouldn’t make a move, swore she’d be a good, platonic foster mother, but every action she took felt like advancing towards inevitability. She was usually so careful, why couldn’t she be now? Why couldn’t she just tell Anna to go sleep in her room instead of letting the girl sleep on her and use her breasts as pillows? Damn. Less than 24 hours into their trip and she was already choking on her own mistakes. “It’s natural now, swimming like that,” she said.

“It was incredible,” said Anna, gesticulating in the air, “you’re beautiful. I mean, that was beautiful. Both you and the swimming were beautiful. You moved through the water like it was art.” 

Elsa smiled. Get out of your own head, she thought. Staying in the now will help. “I’m glad you think so.”

“Can I like,” Anna hesitated, a grin spreading on her face, “ride you?”

Elsa’s mouth dropped open. Her mind didn’t quite put the pieces together, instead fixating on a very, very specific fantasy she’d entertained one night. Not with Anna, of course. Still never with Anna, even as the girls in her masturbatory hazes became fairer, with red hair like fire. Obviously Anna wasn’t talking about that.

“Like, you’re big enough that you could carry someone on your back, probably. I could ride you like Flipper!” Anna threw her hands in the air, smiling, a tint of blush lingering in her cheeks.

Elsa frowned. Grounded, stay grounded. She shook her head. “I suppose,” she said, “I’m certainly strong enough. Would you be able to hold on?”

Anna shrugged. “Maybe?”

“Can you even swim?” Elsa narrowed her eyes, smirking.

“Of course!” Anna huffed despite her smile, crossing her arms.

“I guess we could try. It’s awfully cold out there though. I’m fine, but I’d worry about you freezing.” Elsa fidgeted, liking the idea less the more she contemplated Anna’s frail mortality but finding it hard to turn the girl down.

“I’d have you to warm me up, though.” Elsa groaned, unable to hide that she got the double meaning. It was so direct she was almost convinced Anna was flirting with her. Almost. Girls made jokes like that casually, though, right?

Anna’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my god,” she said, “that, uh, I didn’t, I’m so sorry I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Elsa chuckled, resigned. “It’s okay, I didn’t think you did.” Even though it was too confident to be an accident. Even though I suspect you may have done it without meaning to. “Yes, I think you could probably ride on my back and hold onto my horns.” She shifted her weight, a hand resting on her chin as she thought. “If you don’t mind the cold, of course. It would have to be quick, and we’d need to get you into a hot shower and warm blankets quickly after.”

Anna hummed, a pleased smile on her face. “Ahh, I love hot cocoa after a cold swim.”

Elsa smiled. “An excellent idea.”

Anna stepped forward, mischief in her eyes. “We’re doing this, then?” she asked. 

“Yes,” Elsa said, “I guess we are.” As long as Anna was safe, the idea was thrilling. Ignoring their tension and her lust, Elsa was beaming at the thought of showing Anna first hand something special she could do. She shoved away the awkwardness she felt and nodded at her ward.

Anna began removing her shirt. Elsa stiffened. “What? You did it.” Anna said.

Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but turned around instead and found a point on the horizon to focus on. She crossed her arms, and thought of the ocean floor as Anna stripped behind her. Don’t make this weird, Elsa, just have this moment with her. Be a normal fucking foster parent.

Elsa froze when Anna snuck up behind her and embraced her, dodging around her tail. Her mind went white as she held her breath. The girl’s flesh, her breasts, her stomach, clung to Elsa’s back. She was being punished, she thought. This was for something she’d done. Anna giggled, sending vibrations all through Elsa’s body.

“Are you ready?” Anna asked.

No. Of course she wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next time more lust  
> oops spoilers


	8. Anna VI

Their back and forth wasn’t cute anymore. Instead, it made Anna afraid. After swimming together in the ocean there hadn’t been any coming back. They held hands on the walk to the cottage. Anna didn’t even pretend to be subtle as she took Elsa’s palm in her own, wet droplets fleeing from them both in their wake. After two hot showers, the girls ended up wrapped in each other on the couch with Sabrina the Teenage Witch playing on the TV. Anna felt like she should have protested, but she couldn’t. 

It had all changed so suddenly in Anna’s heart. It began the moment Elsa started stripping in front of her. Her mouth went dry like a desert. Her heart seized up. What else could she do but stare?

They were in the deep end. It culminated when Anna watched Elsa first emerge from the waves, glistening with water and standing proud, her horns and tail brandished without shame. The apex of pain and longing. A lance from heaven speared Anna’s chest and she knew she’d never stood a chance. The way the drenched white fabric hugged Elsa’s erect nipples, and hinted at the bulge of her sex. When Anna spoke again, having crashed back down to Earth, she was blunt. She’d tried to hide, tried to run, but blunt was all she could be. She told Elsa she was amazing, and willed her love to carry across the air between them with her heart. The downhill fall snowballed from there. 

Anna tried to tell herself it was the beach, the distance from her normal life, that was changing her, amending her resolve. She insisted it was Vanellope wearing her down. Not that her best friend ever suggested anything she hadn’t already considered herself. But Anna found that she couldn’t say no to the intimacy anymore, the accelerating closeness. Even if she knew it would be best if she avoided it. 

Her trip with Elsa was quickly devolving into what Anna imagined a lover’s getaway might look like. The hand holding, cuddling, and long glances did nothing to dissuade her fear. The rising sense of inevitability. After seeing Elsa like she had, Anna knew in her heart that it was no longer a matter of if she’d fuck up, but when she’d fuck up. She’d keep escalating against her control and shatter a barrier that couldn’t be repaired. It was terrifying. 

They made jokes from the couch, and watched Sabrina talk to her cat. Anna snuggled into Elsa, warming her bottom in the woman’s lap. Elsa rested her chin on Anna’s head and began humming. Anna told her she was adorable. Elsa returned the compliment like a polite guardian would. Probably. Their cheeks brushed as they cuddled and Anna’s heart was set aflame again.

After a few episodes and half a dozen mugs of hot cocoa Elsa drove them to an amusement park an hour south. It was nearly empty, being the dead of winter at the coast on a foggy day. Anna loved it. She dragged Elsa onto all the rides, stringing her along and keeping the woman’s hand tight in her own as she popped between concession stands and arcade games. She won Elsa a stuffed sheep from a rifle thingy to go with her old snowman. Elsa blushed when she realized Anna had even noticed her old toy. Anna cackled and caressed the woman’s cheek as she handed her the doll, a goofy smile on her lips. The entertainer behind the desk gave them a look that didn’t escape Anna’s notice, but Anna didn’t care.

Elsa was thrilled at her gift. They got ice cream and Anna couldn’t help but glow at Elsa’s free laughter. They held hands on the walk back to the car. Where had her caution gone? She moved as if the decision to become physically closer with Elsa was already made for her. It was too tempting, now, especially with Elsa reacting as she did and welcoming Anna’s touches so readily. Was Elsa even vaguely aware of how open she was to intimacy with her charge? Anna had hopes, suspicions, but nothing concrete. Nothing unbiased by lust.

She texted Vanellope.

Anna: i cant do this  
Anna: its elsa i just  
Vanellope: what? are you ok? talk to me babe  
Anna: i cant stop flirting with her  
Vanellope: ah  
Anna: i saw her in her underwear  
Vanellope: OH  
Anna: and  
Anna: i think im giving up on hiding it  
Anna: that i want to be closer with her. BEING closer with her  
Vanellope: dont push urself  
Vanellope: whatever u decide is ok  
Vanellope: u got this, girlie  
Anna: i feel like i should stop

Anna glanced at Elsa, their fingers laced. She squeezed, and Elsa squeezed back.

Anna: but it feels so right

Lust, love; it was all so flushed together Anna was having a hard time parceling it out. She wanted Elsa, of course, but it was the love that was starting to truly scare her. Even if they never did anything, and Anna never acted on any of those feelings, it was clear to her that not talking about the issue would be their ultimate undoing. She could see herself going everywhere hand in hand with her foster mother. Cuddling. Ogling her when she was lacking clothing. Pretending it was something it wasn’t. She’d fuck up, break the spell. The longer they waited to address the issue the harder they’d shatter when the dream fell to the ground.

No, that wouldn’t do. It wasn’t fair to Elsa, or herself. Anna goaded herself to be honest, to nip the issue before she was living a one sided romance that didn’t actually exist and it destroyed her. She and Elsa were hidden away together in a secluded villa on the ocean with only the wind, sea, and each other for company. The perfect chance to lay it all bare. To tell Elsa she felt something more than what was conventionally allowed.

It would hurt, but it needed doing, and if she didn’t it would hurt more later. It was be honest or cut off the physical contact, which she already realized she simply wouldn’t be able to do.

Anna was quiet on the car ride home from the amusement park. She watched the ocean fly by. Elsa sang softly to the radio from the driver’s seat, the stuffed sheep in her lap. The more Anna considered it, the more she knew she didn’t need to be nervous. Elsa was kind, understanding. She would take the news in stride. Might even be flattered. And, most importantly, it would all end. Elsa’s rejection would be warm but firm, making clear that the situation was resolved, the door closed. Even if her foster mother returned anything close to how Anna felt, she knew the woman was wise enough not to do anything about it. A maturity, Anna reflected, that she herself lacked.

Anna would talk to Elsa about it that night. If Elsa asked her to leave, which she wouldn’t, probably, Anna would figure it out. She was good at figuring it out, right? She’d been on her own before, but even in the worst case scenario she’d still have Vanellope. She could make do, even understand if Elsa asked her to leave. But Anna knew she wouldn’t, at least not immediately, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to address the issue at all. She loved her too much, regardless of how.

Anna would sit Elsa down that night, put soothing music on, and they’d hash it out. She cherished the feeling of relief that would follow. So, of course, that very night Elsa insisted on taking them out for a nice dinner. Somewhere a little fancy, or at least what passes for it in a coastal dead zone. Anna scowled as they passed the house and drove further north.

“You really don’t have to,” Anna said. Could she broach the topic with others around? She’d been counting on the privacy of their cottage.

Elsa smirked. “But I want to,” she replied. Oh, why did Anna have to be sweet and get Elsa that new rabbit? Surely the woman was looking to return the kindness. 

“Okay,” said Anna, resigned. Make the best of it. Don’t back down. Anna forced herself to smile and bounce in her seat a little. “It’ll be cute! We can hold hands and pretend to be nobles picking over peasant food.” She mimed raising a monocle to one eye. 

Elsa laughed and glanced out the window at the setting sun. “Sounds wonderful,” she said.

“Though, you know, I thought you wanted me to do the dishes tonight? For the swimming.”

Elsa grinned and looked back her way. “You can do them tomorrow. But I’m still getting my back rub tonight.” Anna flushed. She’d forgotten all about it.

“O-Oh, yeah, I wouldn’t dream of backing out on that.”

Elsa elbowed her shoulder playfully. “Good.”

By the time they reached the small restaurant, Anna could see the stars from the car window. Elsa pulled into a seafood place with a white sign and black cursive lettering. The town that surrounded it was barely a town. Not like Anna was familiar with. A French waiter greeted them with a candle in one hand and a menu in the other. He led them to a corner booth away from what appeared to be a usual crowd of older folks. The air was quiet, calm, with soft lights illuminating the dim restaurant. When Anna opened her menu and saw the prices she gaped. The first time the waiter came back around Elsa ordered an entire bottle of red wine. Anna got lemonade. 

Anna pushed aside a yellow window drape and saw the beach just 40 feet out. Barely a block. The moon was present, but not enough to see well. The waiter came back with their drinks and they ordered. Elsa got the cod while Anna asked for crab. 

“Would you like some?” Elsa asked Anna as she poured herself a glass of wine.

“Um,” Anna said, flushing, “not sure if that’s a good idea.” Don’t give my stupid teenage brain more incentive to jump you.

Elsa laughed and flashed her a wink. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” She took a sip of the wine and hummed at the taste, then straightened her back and did a voice. “Why, this is exquisite, truly refined!” Elsa stuck a finger under her nose as if she had a mustache. 

Anna laughed, holding her chest as she giggled. “Why, duke, I daresay your mustache looks fantabulous today!” she said after catching her breath.

“Oh! Why thank you, my Queen!” They giggled together, unable to keep up the charade. “If you’d like some, feel free to ask,” Elsa said as she took another sip of wine, the laughter quieting, “you’ve been good so I’ll let you have a sip.”

Anna blinked and shivered as a positively lewd mental image formed in her mind. “I-I’ll pass,” she said.

“How very responsible,” said Elsa, nodding in approval. She lifted the wine glass once more and downed the whole thing without putting it down. Anna watched, wide-eyed. Alright, that was unexpected. Could demons even get drunk? Were she a human she’d look like she were sprinting towards inebriation with open arms. To everyone in the restaurant, she probably did. 

“Are you okay?” Anna asked, rattled by the behavior.

Elsa filled her glass again. She sipped, eyes on the table. “Yes,” she said, voice softer. “I’ve had a wonderful day with you today.”

Anna smiled, hesitant. “I’m glad.”

“At the same time, I’m troubled. I’ve been thinking a lot today too and haven’t been able to shake a feeling.” Elsa drank from her glass.

“Oh?” Anna leaned forward on the table. “Troubled how?” Genuine concern blossomed in her chest. Her confessional could wait.

Elsa tried to smile, but ended up sighing. She leveled her gaze with Anna’s. “I feel like I’m about to make a terrible mistake, but can’t stop myself.”

Whoa, what was she dealing with? “I know how that feels,” said Anna, “big mood.” Elsa nodded. “Do you want to talk about it?” Anna held her hand out over the table, leaving it there in case Elsa wanted to hold it. She didn’t move to do so.

Elsa remained silent, and Anna watched a cacophony of emotion play out on her face. Things she hadn’t seen during the day, emotions that usually only came out in times of crisis, like after Elsa’s last fight. These were emotions Elsa was good at hiding, Anna realized, and she grew even more concerned. 

Finally, Elsa said, “I don’t feel like talking about it now, if that’s okay.” Her eyes dropped to the table. “I’m sorry, I’m just not up for it.”

“That’s totally okay!” Anna forced a smile, her heart beating heavily. “You don’t have to share if you don’t want to. I’m still here for you, though.” Elsa looked back up at her and smirked.

“Aren’t I supposed to be the parent here?” she joked.

Anna flushed, laughing, and chased away awkward feelings of her own. “I guess?” 

Elsa chuckled, and sipped her wine. “How are you feeling?”

Anna swallowed air, pulling her hand from the table. She wrung her knuckles in her lap, suddenly having a hard time maintaining eye contact. If she didn’t say it now, could she say it later? It would be smart to capitalize on her momentary clarify. Essential, even.

“I had a really nice day, too,” Anna began, “I love spending time with you and doing fun stuff. And I’ve learned so much about demon things.” She tried to look up at Elsa again, her face on fire.

Elsa nodded along, smiling. “I’m glad.”

“Not that I was really afraid of you before, but coming out here has helped a lot with processing and becoming comfy with you again.” A complete truth, though somewhat of an understatement. Very, very comfy. It was a little hard to believe they’d begun this trip so Anna could reevaluate her relationship with her demonic foster mother. Had it worked too well?

“That makes me so happy,” said Elsa. She smiled, wide and genuine, her eyes watering. “Thank you for giving me a chance, Anna.”

“Of course; always. But.”

Elsa frowned. “But?”

Anna sighed, worrying her hands tighter under the table. “But, I guess there’s something bothering me, too. A big something.”

Elsa leaned forward, brows knitting together. She pushed her glass aside and leaned forward onto the table to rest on her elbows. “What is it, dear?”

“You’re probably not going to like it, but I,” she hesitated, taking a moment to inhale, exhale, “really n-need to talk about it with you.”

Elsa scanned her eyes, confused. “Why won’t I like it?”

“The thing that’s bothering me involves you, and it’s not a demon thing.”

“O-Oh,” Elsa was taken aback, “What is it? I’m sorry if I’ve hurt or offended you, please tell me so I can help.” She mimicked Anna’s gesture from earlier and reached out a hand for Anna to take should she need it.

She did. “Don’t worry, you haven’t done anything wrong. Nothing at all.” Anna laughed, hollow, “It’s, uh, well.” Moment of truth. She inhaled, and held the air for what felt like the rest of her life. Then she took the first step forward. “It’s about us, Elsa.”

Elsa froze. Anna watched her eyes widen in panic, her mind no doubt at work running through dozens of scenarios. Her hand cooled in Anna’s grip. “Us?” asked Elsa. Her voice was silent as a graveyard and carried in a hushed tone. Fear crept into Anna from the floor up, chilling her inside. Elsa’s response was intense, focused. What was she thinking Anna meant? Did she know?

“Y-yeah.” Anna squeezed Elsa’s hand, suddenly afraid the woman might abandon her before dinner even arrived. Old anxieties, she thought. Keep going, she told herself. Get it all out. Her throat threatened to close up as she wrangled the words into being, anxiety bubbling hard now in her core. “The way, we, well, interact. You know?” Elsa nodded, encouraging her to continue. “You’re, well, uh,” Anna forced herself to keep making noises with her mouth so she wouldn’t freeze up before she got to the meat of it, “well, y-you’re a very attractive woman, Elsa, and,”

“Oh my god,” Elsa said, looking down at the table. Anna watched her grimace, pain and fear clouding her expression like lead. This wasn’t what Anna had expected. Elsa was usually so clear with her words, what was happening. “Oh god, Anna, oh no.” Elsa rested her face in her hands, removing her palm from Anna’s in the process. Anna panicked.

“It’s not, like, I mean,” Anna took a breath, go, go, don’t stop, get it out so it can go away and stop hurting so much, “I am really, really into you and I feel like I’m going to die,” Anna said, blushing harder with each syllable. Elsa didn’t look at her. Anna’s chest seized up and tears pooled in her eyes. This was it, this was the end, she’d fucked it up, she couldn’t do it. She wanted to fix it but it broke anyways.

Anna was wholly ready to curl into a ball in the corner of the booth and have a panic attack when Elsa began to laugh to herself. Anna perked up, at attention, tears still streaking down her face. Elsa looked distraught. There was guilt weaved into the tenor of her laugh, built in like it was a piece of the very foundations.

“Elsa?” asked Anna, her voice tiny.

“Anna, I’m so sorry.” She lowered a hand to the table, revealing half her face. Tears welled in her one exposed eye. Anna wanted to hold her, wanted her to tell her it would be okay. Not now. Possibly never again. Elsa took a deep breath. Anna watched her push away more tears. “I didn’t mean for, I just. I’m so sorry.”

“No, no. I should be sorry, not you, for wanting you like this. I’m a freak. It’s w-wrong,” Anna choked, “I know I shouldn’t but when I look at you I just...don’t apologize, you did nothing wrong.” Anna trailed off each syllable hammering in her throat.

“I did.” Anna stopped. Elsa chuckled without humor, and looked up into her eyes. They were bloodshot. “Anna, i-it’s not just you,” she heaved, eyes snapping shut, teeth grit, “and, well, thank you for being brave enough to bring it up, because we do, in fact, desperately need to talk about this.” The words tumbled from her, weighed down with shame.

Anna’s mouth fell open. She gestured to Elsa, who was now looking out the window, then pointed back at herself. “Wait,” she said, “what?”

Elsa nodded once, eyes shut. Agony was written in her face like leylines in rock. Anna stared at her foster mother, the pieces coming together in her mind. 

A shrill ringing shattered the tension. Anna startled. The sound was unearthly, seeming to cry out from no particular source. It filled her head like a siren. Before Anna could formulate a comment, Elsa was on her feet with her phone to her ear. Had it been hers that rang? That noise couldn’t have come from a cell phone, could it? It didn’t fit. 

Elsa spoke quickly, eyes darting between Anna and the door. There was strain and fear in her words, pushing the shame aside.

“This is very, very bad timing,” she said into her phone. 

A response from the other side, short and curt. Elsa set her teeth in a snarl. 

“I understand,” she said, and clicked her phone off, ending the call. She looked at Anna, who had shrunken into her seat. “We need to go,” she said. Anna glanced around for the waiter, unsure how to reply. “Now,” Elsa intoned, “please, Anna.”

Anna stood as Elsa reached into her purse and withdrew a hundred dollar bill, throwing it down onto the table. It was crumpled. She took Anna’s hand and they fled the restaurant, the waiter calling out from behind them with their food in hand. They were in the car and speeding down the highway before Anna could catch her breath. 

“What’s going on?” she asked, panicked. “Elsa?” 

Elsa was glaring at the road ahead, muttering under her breath. Her knuckles were white on the steering wheel. “That was Maleficent,” she said, “there’s been an incursion in Seattle, and the friend I had filling in for me was just killed in action.”

Anna blinked, and felt her heart leave her chest. Elsa growled, teeth bared.

 

—o—

 

They arrived at the in a fourth the time it took them to get there. Maleficent was standing near the front door, back straight. She looked tired, with long shadows under her eyes. Her mouth was crooked. Elsa was first out of the car, and Anna tailed after, not bothering to lock the door. 

Before Maleficent could speak, Elsa turned to Anna, eyes grim. “Anna,” she said, “do you want to stay out here and get the full story or go inside to start packing? I can explain again later in the car if you like.” She was all business.

“I’ll stay,” Anna said.

“Very good,” said Maleficent, picking at her wooden staff. Her voice was heavy. Anna had a hard time telling where she ended and the dark of night began. 

“How bad?” Asked Elsa.

“Very,” Maleficent glanced at her, “the substitute you chose wasn’t that good. She offered the choice and he murdered her.”

Elsa hissed, her posture arcing. Maleficent didn’t respond. Elsa cracked her neck, and horns erupted from her head in time with her tail. She grew taller as her demon form fleshed out, but she was still nowhere near as tall as Mal. “Who came through?”

“A disgraced, arrogant idiot named Hans Westergard.” Maleficent huffed and waved her staff. A face appeared amidst a puff of green smoke. The demon was sleek looking, with a long face, pointed nose, and well kept sideburns. Glowing eyes stared out from under his furrowed brow, calculating and merciless. Two curling horns bent gracefully back along the top of his skull. He might have been attractive, in another context.

“He has a surname?” asked Elsa.

“He’s a half breed. Human father. Best we can tell from those who knew him, he was born in the Underworld and hasn’t once seen this realm.” Maleficent grimaced. “It’s a small miracle he survived this long. No doubt picked up an inferiority complex. Use that against him.”

Elsa nodded, her stance rigid. Anna kept her distance, her heart still panicking and shortening her breath. The evening was too much, too fast. 

“What happened?” Elsa asked.

“We aren’t certain how he got out, but somehow he was summoned. I let the substitute know, and she went to deal with him, then I found her crucified in an alleyway.” Elsa snarled, ice forming on her forearms. 

Anna shook, holding herself tight with her arms “Like,” she said, stepping forward to inject, “literally crucified?”

“Yes,” said Maleficent. 

Elsa spoke through tears, her voice strained, “Belle,” she said, quiet, “I’m so sorry.” Her shoulders slumped as she struggled for breath. Were it anything else, any other time, Anna would have been at her side comforting her in a flash. But here? She was completely out of her depth, and still shaken from earlier. Useless, she thought. 

“Go quickly. Last I could confirm, he’s by the Space Needle.” Maleficent rapped her staff on the ground and a portal opened up beside her. “I recommend feeding beforehand,”  
she hesitated before speaking again, “I don’t want to lose you, too.”

Elsa shook her head. “No time.”

Maleficent didn’t reply, and stepped toward the portal. She stopped before she was all the way through, though, and looked back at Elsa. There was a glimmer of something in her eyes. “I’m sorry for your loss, Arendelle,” she said. 

Elsa grunted in reply, lost in thought, eyes sealed shut. Maleficent watched her another moment, eyebrows knitting, then disappeared into the void. The portal snapped closed behind her. 

Anna moved in towards Elsa and, light as she dared, touched a hand to the woman’s arm. “I’m so, so sorry, Elsa,” she said. Elsa took a deep breath, hardly her first that night, and let it out slowly. She turned to face Anna.

“May I have a hug?” She asked, voice quiet. Anna stepped in and embraced her, holding her as tight as she could. Elsa buried her nose in Anna’s hair and inhaled. She was holding Elsa again, Anna thought. Their world might be coming apart, but it was a relief. 

“I’m sorry,” Anna said again.

“We need to go,” said Elsa, tightening her hold on Anna. 

“Okay.” Anna stepped away from her foster mother and met her eyes. “What can I do?”

Elsa sniffled, and made a sound resembling a laugh. “Help me pack.”

They launched into the cottage and threw their things together. It wasn’t much, as most of what they’d used stayed with the house. Anna disregarded all packing decorum and thrust her clothes, dirty and clean, into her bag. She stepped out into the kitchen, then had a thought, and darted back in to grab Elsa’s old stuffed snowman from atop the pillow. She might need it. Elsa was zipping her bag up when Anna appeared again. They left the food in the fridge and locked the front door behind them. In and out in under ten minutes. 

Elsa slammed on the accelerator as soon as they were buckled in and the space car hurtled through the night. It was barely 9pm. Anna felt Elsa push 100 on the winding roads and gasped when she accelerated to 130 once they were back on a straight shot east to Seattle. For a weekend, there thankfully weren’t many cars. Anna was gripping her seatbelt as they flew, only a little afraid for her life.

“Sorry,” Elsa said as they hit a bump in the road. Anna was tossed two inches off her seat. She forced a smile, not that Elsa could see.

“It’s okay, really,” she said.

Elsa sighed. “I’m sorry we had to leave the coast early.”

“Oh.” Anna chuckled despite the situation. “Again, it’s okay. This is urgent.” It wasn’t really okay, but leaving the coast was the least of her worries. 

Silence fell over them. Anna watched the trees blur by, and imagined a demon hanging from a medieval cross in the trees, covered in blood. She turned back to Elsa and opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it.

“If this demon is so strong why can’t Maleficent just help directly?” Anna asked.

“She has a whole planet to deal with.” Elsa was only half there, Anna saw. Her demon mother was halfway in Seattle already, planning four moves ahead.

“Oh. Is it just her?”

No, but there aren’t enough that she has time for something like this.”

Anna sighed. She joked despite herself, “glad to see bureaucracy is still making things hard even in other dimensions.” Humor was a good a coping mechanism as any.

“Yes, it’s everywhere, isn’t it?” Elsa said, attempting to banter back. She smiled, but her voice was devoid of all humor.

“Yeah,” Anna agreed. She pulled a stress ball from her purse and began to wail on it.

“Um, Anna?” Elsa said, voice quivering. Her eyes never left the road. “A-About what we were talking about earlier,” she trailed off. 

Anna straightened in her seat. Easy as a summer morning, the panic flooded her system anew. “What about it?” Her voice cracked.

“I’m attracted to you. Too, I mean,” Anna could hear the moment the disgust and self loathing blossomed in Elsa’s chest, “that’s something I wouldn’t be able to say without the pure adrenaline pumping through me right now,” she inhaled and spoke faster, “so I’m saying it before I can’t say it again.”

“Oh,” Anna said, “holy shit.” Elsa had confirmed their mutual attraction in the restaurant, even if she’d descended into something dark right after. Now that they were past that, Anna had time to process exactly what that meant. 

“Yeah.”

“So we’re both into each other?” Somehow, despite the situation, Anna was unable to entirely mask the excitement in her voice. It was in no way at all something she’d expected to happen, no matter how hard she’d hoped. If anything, it just made the situation worse, but Anna was too filled with adrenaline to mull it over. It made her happy. And afraid. But mostly happy.

Elsa grimaced. “It seems that way.” Her eyes hardened. “Now isn’t the time to go into it, though. We’ll be back soon and I have a lot to think about before going into this fight.”

Anna hummed in acknowledgement, her mind spinning idealized fantasies, and settled a hand on Elsa’s shoulder. Elsa didn’t bat it away.

“Y-You realize what we share is extremely inappropriate and technically a criminal offense, right?” Elsa asked, her voice strained. Her words fled her mouth like they had somewhere urgent to be.

“We haven’t done anything,” said Anna, quietly. She didn’t remove her hand. 

“Still.”

“Yeah, okay,” Anna admitted, “still. Like you said, we’ll talk about it.”

“You won’t tell anyone, will you?” Elsa cringed. “God, that sounds bad, I swear I’m not like, trying to make you hide anything, I just.”

“Fuck no, I won’t tell anyone.” Anna squeezed Elsa’s arm. “I mean, except Vanellope, and any other friends I trust to be my confidants. So yeah, just Vanellope.”

Elsa sighed. “Thank you.”

“Of course. I don’t feel like, coerced or anything, I want to know that. Even if you technically have legal power over me.” Anna blushed, and looked towards the road ahead. “I became enamored with you on my own.”

“But even that was probably my fault.”

“It wasn’t. I promise. No fault. Its just feelings.”

Elsa nodded, her cheeks pinking. “Okay. We’re going to discuss this more, I promise.” Elsa lowered her voice, “I don’t want to lose you.”

Anna squeezed Elsa’s shoulder, a fire of love, pain, and rage burning in her heart. She wouldn’t let the system separate them. Not in a million years. “I don’t want to lose you, either,” she said.

Elsa smiled, and Anna felt her heart flip. “I’m glad,” her foster mother said, hazarding a glance away from the road to meet Anna’s eyes. Anna gave her the biggest smile she could. 

“Focus on what’s next,” she said, “we’re not in any trouble unless we act on these, well, feelings.”

Elsa chuckled, and Anna could hear a tinge of agony. “Haven’t we been, though?”

She didn’t know how to reply to that. Her silence, she knew, was admission that Elsa was right. Even with Elsa’s feelings unknown, Anna had been acting on her inappropriate attraction. She swallowed air. 

Anna left her hand on Elsa’s shoulder for the remainder of the trip. Even as she wrestled with her hot emotions, all of it felt small in the face of the looming danger. A new fear wrapped Anna’s heart as the distance between Seattle and their car closed, one she hadn’t felt before. It made her want to cry out. She could see the scenario so easily: Elsa would rerun victorious, only to die of her wounds in the foyer. Or worse, she wouldn’t return at all.

Anna hid her tears. Elsa needed to focus, not worry about her. Elsa would be hurt, that was inevitable, and it would break Anan’s heart in a way she wasn’t used to. If she died, Anna didn’t know what she’d do. As they sped along the highway, the girl wished with all her heart that she could keep holding Elsa as she strode into battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh look its the plot


	9. Elsa IV

Elsa pulled the car up to a curb half a dozen blocks from the Space Needle and jerked the keys from the ignition. She grit her fangs as she handed them to Anna, frost already building on the metal. The girl's eyes were wide. She held the keys to her chest, shoulders shaking.

"If anything happens," said Elsa, "or you actually see any of the fighting, get out of here."

Anna shook her head. "What about you? What if you need me?"

Elsa growled, and Anna flinched. It made her pause. "Sorry,” Elsa said, shaking her head, “if anything happens to you, Anna. Well. I don’t. Um," Elsa trailed off. She'd be devastated? Destroyed? Words that wouldn't help at all given the circumstances; Elsa didn’t want to verbalize that she might be walking to her death. Anna knew what it would do to her if Anna were hurt. They both did. And time was ticking so very, very fast. Elsa needed to find Hans. Her nails sharpened into icy claws in anticipation.

"If I need you I'll call you," she said. Elsa put on her best smile, but only served to bare her knife-like teeth. She was too agitated to be reassuring. Were there any more ways she could utterly fail as a parental figure? Anna glanced away and shifted her weight. "Keep your phone on you."

Even with the car off, Elsa could see Anna in the darkness. She was fidgeting with the cold keys. "Okay," the girl said after a moment. Then, her breathing staggered, she extended a hand to Elsa's face and caressed her cheek. Heat and fire bloomed in the woman's chest as Anna touched her. Elsa sat still as her charge leaned forward to place a chaste kiss just off to the left of her mouth. Elsa wanted to close that distance, but she wouldn’t. Keep it together. Not now.

Anna pulled away. Elsa grabbed the hand leaving her cheek without thinking. She cradled it, and rubbed Anna’s knuckles tenderly in her frozen hands. She found the girl's gaze, and did her best to look like she was confident in her success. The moment lingered, and Elsa did her best to ignore the tears in Anna’s eyes.

"Come back," Anna said.

"Okay." Elsa squeezed Anna's hand.

Before any more was said she was out the car door and sprinting through the alleyways of downtown. The evening was a wreck, and even in the face of Belle’s death Elsa knew where her imagination was truly lingering. Anna liked her back. Against all the fucking odds in the cosmos, the beautiful girl she technically had legal authority over wanted her back. And if that wasn't enough to process, Anna had been the one to bring it up first.

No, focus on the mission. Belle. Hans. Elsa cursed. If she hadn't left, if she hadn't gone this weekend, Belle might still be alive. She couldn’t know that, she insisted to her mind, but the invasive thoughts were out in force that night. 

You’re a monster, they told her. Lusting after a minor and giving someone else up to die in your stead, and that was just that day. Elsa wasn't sure she'd consider Belle a friend, she was more like a co-worker than anything, but she'd been happy to cover Elsa's territory for her the weekend she was out. A nice change of pace, she’d said. She'd trusted Elsa enough to help out when Elsa didn’t deserve it, and now she was dead. 

Elsa didn’t want to give Hans the chance to go quietly. She wanted to remove his lower organs from his torso while he was still alive. She wouldn’t, of course. She'd offer the choice again like she was supposed to. No room to barter, and when Hans inevitably refused, she'd put his fucking face in the ground.

Anna would have to wait, as much as Elsa hated it. What she’d give to still be in the restaurant with the girl finding the courage she needed to be honest. To talk it out. What little talk they’d shared in the car wasn’t nearly enough. Elsa had put off talking about her first night as the girl's guardian, but after all the stress of the situation was gone, the talk had gone fine! Everything was okay in the end. Elsa was sure this would be okay, too. She and Anna were smart; they’d make the right choices. She hated herself for being attracted to Anna, but if it was reciprocal they could come at it from a place of mutual understanding. Elsa was almost thankful Anna had brought it up, because now it could be put to rest. They'd get each other, and would know they couldn't do anything about their attraction. No matter how strong it was it would pass. All attractions did. Right? 

At the same time, Anna wanted her. Anna, smart, intelligent, and kind, wanted her demonic fuck-up of a foster mom as a lover. A sexual relationship, and possibly even a romance. The thought intoxicated Elsa, blurred her vision as she leapt over a trash bin to the street beyond. Elsa wanted to take Anna to her bedroom and kiss her until dawn came. To pleasure her like none ever had, to leave marks of ownership across every corner of her skin. To hold her and never let go. It made her feel weak. Helpless. Her lusts and crushes had never been strong like this before. And she usually went for older women, too! Her mind’s eye pictured Maleficent, and Elsa shook her head to clear it out. The mission. Belle. Hans. 

Anna would have to wait. She pleaded with whoever would listen that the girl stayed in the car. Elsa vaulted up a building and threw herself down the other side, landing in a crouch. She thought about looking for what was left of Belle. Her friend? Her confidant. Before Hans or after Hans, it didn't matter. No time. She didn't want to see, even if part of her needed to. Maleficent would take care of it. Focus on Hans. 

She found him at the entrance to the lobby just past the roundabout leading to the Space Needle parking lot. Elsa ducked behind a set of concrete stairs, and peered out into the gloom. Hans wasn’t hard to make out. He stood tall, easily over seven feet, and wore long grey cloaks that fluttered in the breeze. Unlike herself and Maleficent, he didn't seem to have any tails or wings or extra arms. His horns, though, were clearly visible on his silhouette. Elsa snarled. The murderer was speaking to a small, frail looking human standing to his right, and they seemed to be arguing. Elsa darted closer, unseen, to where she could hear. The human with Hans appeared to be an old man with short hair and a beard. A contact? 

"Are you done staring at it?" The little man asked.

"Hush, father," said Hans, "I've only been in this world for a little while, I'm going to appreciate everything it has to offer." He gestured up at the Space Needle with one arm. "And look at this thing! We've nothing so elegantly designed in the Underworld."

"If you'd like to stare at architecture, I can give you magazines,” the man said, “just give me the hearts!"

Hans lowered his hand and glanced at the small man. "Hearts? Plural?" He chuckled. "Why, I never said that. Just one."

"Hans!" The little man yelled, stomping his foot. 

"Now, now, that won't get you anywhere."

"I summoned you! I followed the plan!"

A cruel satisfaction seeped into Hans' words as he spoke, and even from a distance Elsa could see the aggression rising in his stance. "And if I wanted to, I could kill you, and there'd be naught for you to do about it. You will get one heart, enough for you, and you’ll be thankful for it.”

His father stepped back, crossing his arms. "Fine, then,” he said, his voice quivering, “one heart, you disrespectful child.”

"Very well. If you’re that eager," Hans said, and reached into a bag hidden part by his silhouette. Elsa’s breath hitched as his hand withdrew. A purple, pulsating demon heart sat in his hand, unmistakable. 

"Yes, thank you, thank you!" The little man hopped in the air. Hans wretched as he handed his father the still beating organ. Without hesitation, the man lifted it to his mouth. Elsa watched in confusion as he began to eat. Thick, oozing blood dribbled down his chin. She had a theory as to why a human would want to devour a demon heart, and she didn’t like the conclusion she was coming to.

The changes in him were immediate. Elsa watched as he began to shake, and more of the heart dropped to the ground instead of making it into his mouth. His back began to surge, writhe, and he yelped as long, thin horns erupted from his head. A tail grew out from behind him, thick and bloated. He laughed, the tenor changing to something altogether more monstrous. His mouth expanded, opening wider and wider up his cheeks to his throat.

When the demon heart was gone, the man fell to the ground panting. A pool of viscera stained the pavement. Hans sighed, his arm crossed before him. "Are you done now?" he said.

"I think so? I’m changed. Is there any more?” Hans shrugged. The man staggered to his feet, tail heaving through the air behind him. "Oh, oh god, I feel amazing! This energy, it’s more than I’ve ever felt! My youth has returned, and, and then some!”

"I'm sure you're very strong," said Hans.

"Shut up! I'm not a human anymore, boy! I could give you a run for your money now!" The man closed the distance and got up in Hans' face, which only served to accentuate their difference in height. The man couldn't have been more than five feet tall, even now. 

Hans sighed again, and dropped his weight faster than his father could react. His fist connected with the little man and he flew back, the hit lifting him from the ground and dropping him onto the concrete meters away. Elsa flinched as he hit the ground. "You're more viscous, perhaps," Hans said, stepping towards his fallen father, towering over him, "but you're still nothing." The man squealed and tried to worm away but Hans slammed a foot down on his tail, holding him in place. The man shrieked. "And don't forget who's in charge, here. I'll expect more of you now that you've ascended.”

Elsa watched the little man pick himself off the ground with fear in her gut. Eating demon hearts turns humans into demons. It didn't seem possible, didn't feel real. Hans' father summoned him from the Underworld in exchange for demonhood, but did Hans really tell him all that it would entail? Did he know about their feeding cycles? The heats? Did Hans tell his father that, no matter where he went on Earth, there would be a demon hunting him and trying to send him to the Underworld or kill him? Somehow, Elsa didn't see it likely that anyone would agree to this life, even with the perks.

Elsa grit her teeth. Focus on the mission. Hans. Belle. Anna. Maleficent will be able to answer your questions later. There were two targets now.

She had only ever fought one demon at a time, but she didn't have other options. She needed to engage before they could escape. Taking in a deep breath, Elsa stepped out from her hiding spot and began to stride towards the two demons. Her sadness and rage told her to sprint at them, to attack, but she wouldn’t. Couldn’t. Give them the choice. 

Hans and his father heard Elsa before they saw her, heads whirling in surprise at her deliberate steps. She stopped 15 feet away, hands clenched at her sides. She was still wearing her nice dinner clothes, she reflected, though the seams were torn and the fabric frayed where she’d grown into her demon form.

"Oh, hello," said Hans, looking her up and down. He smirked. Elsa didn't budge. "Are you another one of Maleficent's agents?"

Don't kill him on sight. Make the offer, then get down to it. Conceal. "Hello," Elsa said, her voice strained and raw, "return to the Underworld immediately, or I will kill you."

Hans shook his head and looked at the ground, that awful smirk still on his face. "Oh, dear." He glanced back up at Elsa. "Was that other girl a friend of yours? She died very painfully."

"I heard." Conceal. 

"Who’s this?" the little man said, looking up at Hans, "you said there weren't any other demons on the surface!"

"I lied," Hans said, not bothering to look at his father. He addressed Elsa, "I'm not going back, and if you'd like to die, feel free to come after me. Or, maybe," he stepped forward again, "you'd like to join me? I'm going to rule this land, and I’m in dire need of knights." His smirk softened and he was smiling, arms outstretched. It was almost welcoming. 

"No," said Elsa, and she lowered her center of gravity. The air around her dropped below freezing. 

Hans’ smirk returned. "A shame. Sure I won't be able to change your mind?" He cracked his knuckles and neck, loosening up, then set down the bag of demon hearts and pushed it behind him.

"You killed Belle." Elsa whipped her hands up before her, claws extended. Blade of ice erupted from around her wrists, covering them completely. Hans looked genuinely impressed. Somehow it made Elsa hate him more.

"I understand,” he said. He stepped back, but Elsa moved in after him, keeping the distance the same. She wouldn’t strike first. Watch for opportunities, keep him guessing. "Father, I want you to help me kill this woman." 

The little man nodded, and fell in step with Hans. He looked like he was about to shit himself. No stance, no grace. It was clear he’d never been in a fight before. Elsa almost pitied him. “Okay,” he said.

Hans attacked first. He darted in, faster than Elsa expected, and light twinkled to life around him. Alarm gripped her in an instant and she dove back, hurtling herself away. Hans' fist hit the open air, and a surge of electrical charge lit up the sky. Elsa picked herself off the ground and whirled on him, eyes wide. Hans posed for Elsa with his arms at his sides, arcs of energy crackling around him. When he was confident she'd seen him, he threw a punch in her direction without moving his feet. A beam of bright white plasma exploded past Elsa and lit up the clearing, charring a concrete wall behind her. More posturing. Motherfucker. Elsa snarled and dropped onto all fours like a cat.

Hans might not technically have magic since he needed to be summoned to escape the Underworld, but fuck if that didn’t basically count. Body-based electrical charge? Gods. Hans flicked his hand and tossed another volley at Elsa, but she leapt forward and rolled clear out of the way. She used her momentum to hop back on her feet and dash for him in a serpentine pattern before his next shot went off. The little man dove for her legs as she dodged another flurry of energy, but a quick kick was all it took to knock him flat on his back.

Elsa closed the distance. Up close, she danced around Hans' peripheral vision, keeping out of his direct range. She feinted left, right, and waited for him to fire off again. When he did, jerking his hand out, she flew towards his arm and cut down the length of it with her ice blades, then spun to the ground onto her heel and sliced through his legs as she went. He screamed.

Elsa lunged away as Hans grabbed for her head only to be thrown to the ground as the little man slammed into her side. His jaws closed around her arm and tugged, shearing through her skin and cracking the ice blade surrounding her first. Elsa shrieked, blood spilling from a hundred punctures. How many teeth did he have? She whipped her free hand forward, lancing ice through the man's torso and piercing through to the other side. He released her arm, staggering backwards and paling. Elsa moved to stand, but fell again as pain shot through her side. She landed on her face, Hans standing over her.

He kicked her again, then again, harder. She turned her head to hiss at him and watched as he withdrew a thin sword covered in black markings from a sheath hidden by his cloaks. He stabbed down into her side where he'd kicked her, laughing. His sword came back out, and he stabbed again. Repeatedly. 

Elsa cried, the pain overwhelming, her body writhing. Hans was a sadist. He could kill her, could easily turn her into a charred corpse with another of those blasts, but instead he seemed content, even happy, to stab her until she bled out. Even as Elsa shuddered with hurt, the knowledge reassured her. Demons and their arrogance.

When the next drop of the sword came, she was prepared. It punched through fresh skin and fire leapt up her spine. She feigned pain longer than she truly felt it, shrieking even louder than before but recovering twice as fast. As the blade left her side Elsa balanced all her weight on one hand and swept her legs under Hans, knocking him off his feet and onto his ass. Opportunity. She was up in an instant and bringing her blade down on him when a shot rang out. Elsa staggered.

Hans' father, sprawled on the ground and bleeding out from his chest wound, held a smoking pistol. He was frowning. The man emptied the clip, half the bullets ripping into Elsa's chest and legs, but it didn’t stop her downward momentum. Her blade cut through Hans' chest, long and jagged, but it wasn't deep enough. Elsa pushed herself back up, trying to regain her balance, but she lost it, the bullets burning holes in her flesh. From his place on the ground, Hans threw out his palm and gripped Elsa’s face, then grunted as a tower of energy exploded outward and into the sky.

Elsa saw and stars. She wasn’t in her body. The wave of electricity blew past her skin, her eyes, her skull. The pain was white and blue lightning laughing craters in her brain.

She soared through the air and crashed into a concrete planter, her neck snapping back from the impact. She may have lost consciousness, she wasn't sure. A moment passed. Was she even still alive? She could feel nothing, and also everything, all at once. Achingly, Elsa opened her eyes, blinking away specks of white. She was alive. Her night vision was shot, and darkness blanketed the world.

She didn't need it to see Hans walking towards her wreathed in lightning, sword level with her neck. Elsa struggled to stand, to move out of the way, but her whole body was fried and burned, overtaxed. She couldn't move. The pain hurt like metal buried in flame.

"That was good," said Hans, his breath short, “but we clearly see who’s superior.” Blood poured from the gash in his chest, but it wouldn't be enough to kill him. Damn. “What’s your name?”

"Elsa.” Her words carried none of the bite she wished they did.

"A pleasure. You’re going to die, now.”

"I figured." Adrenaline pumped in Elsa’s blood, but her body couldn't react to its impulses. She was dead in the water. 

Hans stepped forward and raised his sword. At least she'd confessed to Anna, Elsa thought. Probably should have took the initiative to add her to the will or something. Elsa would die, but hopefully this would all pass for Anna. No more demons or blood magic, and she could get on with a normal life. Elsa hoped it could be true. Perhaps, in the grand scheme of things, this was for the best.

She lowered her head in acceptance of death. Hans raised his sword, but from behind them a loud thrum echoed out before lights flashed from around the wall. Hans raised a hand to shield his eyes, and in that moment Elsa's car hurtled over the street corner and slammed into him at 70 miles an hour. Hans flew through the air, rolling hand over foot until he smacked into the concrete. Elsa's mouth dropped open. The car door popped and Anna stuck her head out.

"Get in!" she said. They locked eyes, and Anna paled, her hand rising to cover her mouth. Did she really look that bad off?

"Anna, wha’--I can't move!" said Elsa, writhing in her spot. 

"Shit!" Anna came to, kicked the door all the way open, and stepped out. Elsa reached up and accepted her help as Anna tugged her to her feet. She still wasn't very good for walking, but she could hobble. Anna threw her in the back seat, making sure her tail was all the way in before slamming the door and hopping back into the driver's seat. 

"Wait, Anna!"

"What?" 

"There's another demon bleedin’ out over there, get ‘im too!"

Anna looked at Elsa like she was speaking a particularly intimidating foreign language. Her eyes flicked to the dashboard, looking out the front window at the still unmoving Hans. 

"Go!" Elsa said, her voice rasping. She hit the back of Anna's seat with her fist, and the girl was out again and lifting the man by his shoulders and dragging him to the car. Thankfully he was long unconscious, if not dead. Hans was stirring and getting his hands under his chest to push himself up as Anna shut the front door on his father and scampered back around to the driver's seat.

'Hold on!" she said, not bothering to buckle her seat belt. The car lurched backwards into the roundabout, the tires screeching as Anna peeled out down the street away from the Space Needle. Elsa watched out the back window for any sign of Hans. When she didn't see anything after four blocks, not even the glow of a lightning shot, she let herself relax and collapsed back down into the plush back seat. She'd lost. But at least Anna was okay. 

"Elsa?" Anna's voice floated back from the front seat sounding just a little unhinged. "Elsa? Hey! Stay awake! Come one! Fuck, hey, stay awake!"

Elsa groaned, dragging her bloodied arm up to her forehead. She'd been shot with a gun. That'd never happened before. She could feel the aching pockmarks where the bullets entered and exited her torso as she took breath. Another day in bed. "That was ‘eckless," said Elsa.

"Reckless? Fuck, Elsa! You were going to die!" Anna took a turn sharper than she should have and Elsa rocked in the backseat. “Sorry about your car but you can buy another one!”

"How di’ you know I was in danger?" Elsa asked, her voice quiet.

"I followed you, idiot! In case this happened! Fuck, why didn't you let me come with? Remember last time?" Of course Elsa remembered last time. It had been her bloodiest fight ever, at least until a few minutes ago. 

She wanted to say it usually didn’t get this bad, but she grunted instead, and then was quiet. The streetlights threw bars on her as they drove through the night. A minute passed. "Thank you fo’ savin’ m’ life,” said Elsa, “I didn' want you to get ‘urt, but you came anyways. And you," Elsa stopped to cough into her hand, but it came back bloody, "you risked ‘ourself and you saved m’, Anna."

"Of course, I mean, I thought I was going to lose you and, well, fuck. I love you."

Elsa froze, but her tail wagged behind her despite the burns, gashes, and bruises. A blush crept up her cheeks. She waited for Anna to follow up with something else, a caveat, a rebuttal, but she didn't. She let the words hang in the air. Elsa hurt all over, but the pain fell aside as her heart burst. Covered in blood with a handful of bullet wounds and burned skin, she couldn't bring herself to lie. 

"I love you too.”

 

-o-

 

Elsa woke in her bed. Pale light streamed through her one window, and her candles were lit. Water and light food had been set out for her on the table recently. She didn't know how long she'd been out, but from the healing on her wounds she guessed it'd been a few days. Elsa groaned and began to sit up, but was stopped by a weight against her side. She looked down and saw Anna curled against her, the girl's head sleeping in the crook of Elsa's shoulder, her hand resting on Elsa's stomach. Elsa blushed, smiling. Did this count as acting on feelings? Almost certainly in their case, but she wasn't about to kick Anna out now. Not after all that. They loved each other, even if it made everything worse. Elsa could deal with that later.

Elsa craned her head to kiss Anna on the forehead. It was all she dared. "Hey, sunshine. Wake up," she said. She imagined what it would be like to say those words to Anna every morning. She wasn't sure indulging the fantasy was a good idea, but she was groggy and already doing it by the time her anxiety caught up with her. Anna was alive. Anna was okay, even after the ridiculous stunt she’d pulled.

Anna stirred and her eyes blinked open. When she saw Elsa smiling at her, she snickered and grinned. Elsa cocked her head.

"What?" she asked. 

"You've," Anna paused, bringing her hand to her face, "your face is all red and peely." She giggled.

"Peely?" Elsa frowned. "I'd think if all I got from Hans' lightning was peely skin I'm doing okay."

Anna's eyes bugged. "What? Oh, uh. No, when I found you, you were missing most of the skin from your face. And all your hair." She cast her eyes towards the window. Elsa reached up to touch her head and yup, completely bald. Damn. "I thought you weren't going to make it when you passed out on me in the car."

Elsa tensed. "Sorry," she said. She didn’t remember most of the car ride back. 

"I'm glad you're made of tough stuff." 

Elsa leaned over again and placed another kiss on Anna's forehead. She hadn't even thought about it, but the girl froze. Red shot up through her cheeks. "I am too," Elsa said as she leaned back against her pillow, her guilt welling in her chest, "how long have I been out?"

"Three days." 

Elsa grimaced. "Oof. Have you been going to school?”

“Yeah, though I didn’t want to.”

“Good.”

Anna huffed. "I was worried about you. Are you feeling any better?" She nuzzled in closer and began to rub little circles on Elsa's tummy with her palm. Elsa felt like she should have stopped her, but didn’t. 

"Much. Thank you again for saving my life." Elsa found Anna’s gaze and smiled. For all the tension between them, Anna had to know she meant it. Had to know she loved her. She did love her, didn't she? What a fucking mess you are, Elsa Arendelle.

Anna smiled. "Of course." 

They lingered there, looking into each other's faces in the dim of Elsa's master bedroom. This is the part where I should kiss her, Elsa thought. This is the part where I take a ring I don't have out of my drawer and ask her to marry me, then we fuck and spend the rest of our lives enamored with one another. She thought about asking Anna if it would be okay to kiss her. Not even doing it, just. Asking. Can I kiss you, Anna? As thanks for saving me. They were in the hole together already, and she didn’t dare do more than what she’d already done in her current state. They still needed to talk. Put the boundaries back up. Stay safe.

Elsa broke eye contact and settled again, sighing. Anna blinked and looked away, expectations dashed. It worried Elsa at the same time that it made her feel alive. The girl put her head back down on Elsa’s shoulder.

"Maleficent here," Anna said, her voice quiet. Elsa startled.

"What? Where?"

"The basement, with Gerda." 

Elsa groaned, blessing her handmaiden's bravery. The woman deserved another raise.

"I shouldn't keep her waiting, then." 

Anna frowned. "Are you sure? You need your rest!"

"I do, but I can do talking,” just not talking to you about the illicit romance that seems to be happening between us whether I want it to or not, “will you help me up?" 

Anna nodded. "Of course."

With Anna's careful help, Elsa heaved herself out of bed. She was stiff, but the pain had mostly faded. The bullet wounds were gone, leaving shallow white scars in their place. Together, the women went down the stairs to the first floor of the manor and found the door to the basement. It was covered in a dozen locks. Elsa flicked them all open, the combinations known by heart, and they descended, Anna helping her with the stairs. 

The room that opened up before them was massive and cavernous, with walls of plants and preserved human body parts and dead animals in jars. In one corner there were chains and shackles hanging from a wall, and in another sat a waste disposal bay leading to a massive furnace. Workbenches and piles of cushions littered the area in a mess. The entire south wall was covered in weapons ranging from 17th century to modern. Elsa hadn't wanted Anna to see this place, where the grisliness and complexity of her fore bearers could be seen, but she was in deep already. No more secrets worth keeping. Anna ogled the scenery and swallowed hot air. It was warm, almost muggy.

On what looked like an operating table, the corpse of Hans's father was splayed out naked with a small modesty cloth over his genitals. Maleficent and Gerda stood chatting next to the body, apparently getting along quite well. When had they become friends? They both turned as Elsa and Anna ventured down the steps.

"Arendelle," said Maleficent, smiling, "good to see you.”

Elsa did her best to smile back. "You too."  
“I like the haircut.”  
“Shut up.” She staggered over to the group and caught her balance, leaning off Anna to stand of her own volition. She felt Anna standing close by in case she needed help again, and was thankful. "How are things?"  
Maleficent frowned and rapped her staff against the concrete floor. "Not good. We haven't been able to locate Hans.”

Elsa cast her eyes to the ground. Ah, more guilt for the guilt spiral. Conceal. "I'm sorry."

To her surprise, Maleficent stepped forward and placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder. It was the first time the two women had ever touched. Elsa balked at her, but Maleficent was stern. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to assist. I had no idea there would be two. You did your best, and I'm thankful you’re alive.”

Elsa nodded, almost in a daze. "T-Thank you," she said as Maleficent stepped back. Elsa's hand idly reached up to the spot where she'd touched her.

Maleficent averted her eyes and coughed into her fist, then glanced down at the body on the table. Elsa saw Anna swallow as she looked it over, her face pale. Without thinking, Elsa took Anna's hand and squeezed. She didn't let go.

"We don't have a lead on him," Maleficent said after a moment, "but we're confident he'll turn up. His abilities are flashy and hard to hide.”

Elsa nodded. Maleficent was right, of course, but it didn't sit well to let Hans be for even a second. She squeezed Anna's hand again, and the girl turned her head to kiss Elsa's shoulder through her sleep shirt. Maleficent blinked, but didn't comment. Gerda averted her eyes. 

"It wasn't without gains, though,” Maleficent began again, “you took care of his father here. Hans has fewer, if any, allies now." Maleficent tapped the body with her staff, and it jiggled slightly. Gerda grimaced and stepped away. “We’ll catch him, and I’ll be in touch again the minute I have any leads.”

“Okay.” Elsa took a deep breath. No reason not to bring it up now. "Eating a demon heart can turn a human into a demon," she said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes," Maleficent replied, so matter of fact it could cut steel. Like the information hadn’t been withheld. "And speaking of, that does bring us to our last bit of business before I must be off.”

"Oh?" Elsa cocked an eyebrow.

Maleficent smirked. "Consider it a strong recommendation." She turned to Anna. "You, little human, have proven to be beyond helpful, and even essential to Elsa's survival in this particular instance.” 

Anna blushed and looked at the floor. "Thank you very much," she said, just above a whisper. 

Maleficent chuckled. "Elsa could use someone like you to help her. A partner." Elsa saw Maleficent glance at her hand joined with Anna’s and bristled. Maleficent cackled and waved a hand at her. "Calm down, Arendelle. As if I care who you take for a mate." 

Elsa’s heart dropped out of her chest. She didn't dare look at Anna, even as she felt the girl shaking through their linked fingers. Elsa was sure she herself was bright red but there wasn't a thing to do about it. 

"It occurs to me," Maleficent said, eyes closed, "that Anna here is reliable and of good heart. Elsa, you need a partner, and as it so happens we have a demon heart here at our disposal now." Maleficent turned to look at the man's body, gesturing towards it with her staff, and all the gears clicked in Elsa's mind. She whipped to head to look at Anna, who was staring at Maleficent with wide eyes.

"You're already in deep, young woman, and you clearly mean to help Elsa and stand by her," Maleficent said to Anna. "I would encourage you to eat this demon's heart and join us. You’ll stand up better to threats that way.” She smirked, amusement in the glimmer of her eye, “no pressure.”

Elsa's heart skipped a beat as Anna let go of her hand and took a step forward to look at the body. When she turned back to look at Elsa, her expression was one of wonder. Elsa swallowed air, terror in her heart.


	10. Anna VII

The wind was soft that night as the group of friends navigated cold streets. Anna glanced behind her. No Hans. No monsters. She'd been anxiously looking around a lot more in the days since Hans appeared and robbed her of her romantic weekend at the beach. Kristoff and Jane were arguing next to her while Rapunzel made sly remarks towards both sides. Something about the movie they'd just come out of and how plausible the physics weren't. Nerds. Anna had enjoyed it, of course. She was always down for whimsical flights of fancy, but it spoke to her state of mind that she barely remembered what had happened just 20 minutes out of the theatre. Something something space and Jedi.

Snow drifted down from the abyss of clouds, freezing the already chilly city. Anna watched her breath rise through the air, hands buried in her jacket pockets. For the second time in a month, she'd watched Elsa almost die. That alone made her want to take Maleficent up on her deal and eat the demon heart they now had on ice. She wanted to protect Elsa, see her safe, and she had to admit joining the legions of the damned would likely be the quickest way there.

She wasn't completely sold. How could she be? She wasn't even legally an adult, a fact that weighed on her in more ways that one. What did she know about giving up her humanity? Her frailty? Was it even something worth cherishing, something she'd miss?

"I don't agree with this," Elsa had said back in the basement. Anna watched her shake, visibly afraid.

Maleficent shrugged. "As I said, it's a recommendation," her eyes flicked to Anna, "but a strong one."

When Maleficent was gone, Elsa took Anna upstairs and they plopped down on the couch. Gerda brought them drinks and snacks, and excused herself. Elsa was worn, still recovering from her fight. Bags sagged under her bloodshot eyes. All her hair was gone, blown off by Hans' lightning blast. She didn't look bad bald, but Anna already missed the woman's beautiful white braid.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea for you to become a demon," Elsa told her, the words heavy in her mouth, "but ultimately, it's not my choice to make. It's up to you, and I will support whatever decision you choose." Anna hugged her, holding Elsa as tight as she could, and resisted the urge to tear up. She loved her so much. It was a blurry, messy feeling. Parental love mixing with romantic love mixing with lust and something akin to friendship. But any way she sliced Anna she still loved her, still appreciated every moment they shared, and was thankful for every time Elsa respected right to choose. So often before she’d been denied that.

Anna hadn't seen much of Elsa after they turned in for the night. She was sleeping when Anna left for school the next morning and sleeping when she got back. Anna had wanted to bother her, but Gerda was insistent that she let Elsa sleep. She spent the night in her room doing homework and texting Vanellope, then took a break from 10pm to 1am to watch anime. The next day was the same. And the next. Gerda prepared her meals in the morning at Elsa’s absence, and every time Anna inquired the old woman would insist Elsa needed her rest. Anna was becoming anxious, filled with hypothetical conversations she’d yet to have with her recovering guardian.

Kristoff had been the first to say something. She knew she'd been mopey, but she didn't realize it was enough to make her friends worried. Rapunzel suggested they go see a movie after school, and to deflect Anna had insisted she invite Jane along too. It worked to keep her distracted from Anna’s woes. Her friends had been blushing at each other all evening and Anna was living for it. If only her own romance could be that simple. 

Except, it wasn't a romance. She and Elsa weren't an item. They couldn't be. She knew they both wanted to be, and she could feel the tension between them like it was heavy water. The levels of intimacy they had assumed were far beyond anything a foster parent and foster daughter should have, much less an adult and a minor, but their situation wasn't exactly normal, was it? Would there even be any issue, ethical or otherwise, if Anna ate the heart and became a demon? Or if they just waited five years?

Anna hoped she'd still know Elsa that far down the road. Anna hoped they'd still both be alive. Knowing Hans was out there was terrifying, but in a way, the situation had solved one of her biggest problems. If Child Protective Services ever showed up on Elsa's doorstep all Anna had to do was demon up and they wouldn't be able to touch her. Probably. Would becoming a demon invalidate her status as a US citizen? Whatever. They wouldn't be able to catch her, regardless. The fucks. Maleficent’s offer had freed her, in a way.

Even if Elsa wasn't a part of the equation, it was just so tempting. Strength, agility, and whatever magic she'd get from being a fullblood? Not to mention being sexy as shit? The only hiccup, best as she could tell, was what she'd have to do to stay alive. Thinking about Elsa eating human hearts still sent terror chills down Anna’s spine; could she even fathom doing it herself on a regular basis? No. She really couldn't. But a lifetime with Elsa, stepping to the side of humanity, traveling the world alone together…it was so romantic. And dangerous. Anna didn't want to make the decision based on Elsa, even if Elsa needed her. Even if it was so delicious a dream she could taste it. Anna wanted to help, but there were things she could still do while human, no matter what Maleficent said. If she was going to become a monster, she'd do it on her own terms. It was her choice.

"Come on, Anna, get in on this!" Kristoff said. Anna looked up from the ground. A thin layer of snow covered the sidewalk. Kristoff was beaming, clearly hoping to include her. Rapunzel and Jane smiled at her, red in the face. 

Anna laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "Yeah! Uh, what are we arguing about?"

Kristoff smacked his cheek and Rapunzel giggled, glancing at Jane. "Anna!" He crossed his arms and smirked. "Okay, okay. Do you think Kylo Ren is hot or not?"

Anna scrunched her nose. He was the angry one who killed Han Solo, right? Wait, was Han Solo his dad? "Oh god, is that what we're talking about?" 

"Frankly, I agree with her," said Jane, putting on an air of authority, "I feel like arguing about it unfairly validates people whoa are attracted to him."

Kristoff shot her a look, and Rapunzel sniggered. "She got you there!" she said.

"What! He's dreamy!" replied Kristoff.

"And a fascist!"

"Okay, point," Kristoff waved a hand in dismissal, "then Adam Driver is dreamy while playing Kylo Ren, but Kylo Ren is trash. Better?"

Rapunzel nodded, eyes closed for effect. "Much so." Jane laughed and placed a hand on Punzie's shoulder. Anna thought Rapunzel might die from how red her cheeks were. God, they were so cute. 

Kristoff addressed Anna. "What do you think now?" he asked.

"Eh, maybe if he wasn't a complete asshole..." she said, shrugging.

"Wait, Adam Driver or Kylo Ren?"

"Porque no los dos?"

"Wow, Anna!" Rapunzel said, "that's so rude to pretty, emotionally fragile Adam Drivers everywhere!"

They laughed together as they reached the bus stop. Classical music played faintly from a 24-hour speaker nearby and ruined newspapers fluttered in the night breeze. Through the silhouettes of buildings large and small the glassy surface of the Puget Sound shone in the dark. 

Rapunzel dug through her pockets for bus change, and scowled when Kristoff pulled out his bus pass and waved it in front of her nose. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for you too,” he said.

“What a gentleman,” said Rapunzel, her tone colder than the weather. Jane sniggered and took Rapunzel’s arm in her own, then shocked Rapunzel half to death when she didn’t let go. 

“Anna,” Jane said, holding tighter to Rapunzel, “you’ve mentioned your foster mother a few times this evening, and Rapunzel keeps mentioning wanting to see your home.” Anna perked up. Had she mentioned Elsa? God her memory was fuzzy. “What do you think of a sleepover?” Anna watched Jane eye Rapunzel as she spoke, and didn’t have a hard time putting together why the girl would want to sleep over. She’d like to think she and Jane were acquaintances, if not friends. It would be a nice chance to get to know her better, and a good opportunity for Jane and Rapunzel to sneak off to a guest room for some much needed alone time. Anna smiled.

Rapunzel squealed and clasped her hands in front of her, “Oh my gosh, Anna! Can we?” 

Anna wasn’t sure whether Punzie was aware of Jane was plotting, but she knew she’d appreciate the chance just as much as her crush. She snickered and played coy. “Maybe,” she said, “I’ll have to ask Elsa.”

Kristoff threw her a look. “How is Elsa today, by the way?” he asked, a smarmy look all over his stupid handsome face. Anna resisted the urge to sock his shoulder. Only Rapunzel could do that.

“She’s fine.” Anna glared at him and he backed off, smug as could be. Rapunzel glanced between them, clearly not following. Good. Anna didn’t need more people than necessary knowing about her foster mom boner. “Here, actually, I’ll ask her right now.” Anna peeled off her glove and found her phone, thankful for a chance to step away from where the conversation might lead otherwise.

“This is a really good idea,” Kristoff said to Jane from behind her, “I’ve wanted to see Arendelle manor for ages.” 

“Me too!” Rapunzel piped up.

“Do you think it’s really haunted?” Jane asked.

“Oh, totally,” Anna said, eyes not leaving her phone, “most haunted place in Seattle. Can’t wait to hear you scream.”

Anna: hey u! can punize kris and jane come over for a slumber party sometime

She waited a moment for a reply. 

Babelicious Demon Queen (Elsa): Sure!  
Anna: heck ya!! thank you!!! <3  
Babelicious Demon Queen (Elsa): When were you thinking?

“Hey dumdums, when did you want to come over?” Anna asked, interrupting her friends. They’d been discussing the troll ghosts that supposedly haunted the area around her house and fed on the memories of children.

“Um,” Rapunzel said, “this Friday?” She looked at Kristoff. 

He nodded. “Works for me. No practice. Jane?”

“Oh,” Jane said, growing shy and pulling in on herself just a smidge, “I’d like that very much.” Ooh, didn’t think your cunning plan would work? Anna made a mental note to get them alone and lock them in a room together. “Is it a plan, then?”

Rapunzel pulled Jane closer, obviously getting ideas, and Kristoff grinned at her, throwing up finger guns. Punzie blushed and looked at the ground.

Anna: would this fri be ok?  
Babelicious Demon Queen (Elsa): Yes, that’s fine.  
Anna: rad as fuck  
Babelicious Demon Queen (Elsa): <3

Anna blushed at Elsa’s heart emoji. Heart emojis were totally platonic, right? No romance bullshit at all. Not that Anna had a terribly good grasp of the exact emotional states that could be described as “romantic,” or “platonic,” or what made them terribly different, she just knew she wanted Elsa in every way she could have her. 

“Elsa says this Friday will be good.”

“Hey, awesome!” said Kristoff, “What do we wanna do?”

“I bet I can kick your ass at Mario Kart.” Anna winked at him.

“Oh, I’ll take that bet, missy!”

Before she could retort, Anna’s phone buzzed again.

Babelicious Demon Queen (Elsa): Can you come up two blocks?  
Anna: ???  
Babelicious Demon Queen (Elsa): I’ll be waiting.

Anna’s heartbeat picked up. Elsa wasn’t usually so cryptic while texting. “Hey,” she said to her friends, “Elsa’s apparently nearby, she says? She wants to give me a ride home.”

“A ride home, huh?”

“Shut up, Kristoff.” 

Anna turned back to her party and smiled, clasping her hands before her. “Looks like I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? And Friday night for our sleepover!” She stopped, hesitating. “Wait, Kristoff, your parents won’t take issue with you staying over, will they?”

Kristoff raised an eyebrow. “There won’t be any other guys, right?”

“Good point. I can never tell with parents.”

Anna’s friends wished her off and she began jogging back the way they came. She didn’t get more than a block out of sight when she heard something drop down from the buildings above and slam into the sidewalk behind her. Anna jumped, squealing and whirling around. Her foster mother stood on the sidewalk in human form, hands up in submission.

“Whoa! Anna, it’s me!”

Anna caught her breath, relieved it hadn’t been Hans, and growled. “You scared the fuck out of me, Elsa!”

Elsa looked around bashfully. “Sorry.” 

Anna wanted to be mad, if only for comedic effect, but it wouldn’t come. She stepped forward and pulled the woman into a hug, nuzzling her head under Elsa’s chin. Elsa embraced her, sighing with contentment. They still hadn’t talked about their relationship. Not really. Elsa had been in bed recovering. Anna was glad Elsa had hugged her back, but that didn’t diminish the fact that they needed to discuss their intimacy. 

“You’re looking better,” Anna said, “I mean, you always look great, but. You know.” Even gorgeous as she was, Anna noticed Elsa was wearing a loose-fitting cotton dress that looked like it had seen better days. Still hot as all get out, and the beanie atop her bald head was just adorable.

Elsa went red and stepped out of the hug, huffing. “Anna,” she said, unable to keep from smiling despite herself.

Anna snickered. “Sorry. So what’s up?”

Elsa fidgeted. “Well,” Elsa began, “I’m in top shape again, but when I woke up this afternoon I was ungodly hungry.” She watched cars fly by, eyes unfocused. “So, well. I was wondering. If.”

Oh, right. Anna nodded, tensing. “I wanted to see you feed,” she said.

Elsa smiled, faint but warm. “Would you still like to do that?”

No. She needed to, though, for both her and Elsa’s sakes. She would accept all of Elsa, damnit, even if heart eating was part of that! A gross part, but like, all people have gross parts. Besides, if Anna was going to become a demon, she needed to see and experience what it would be like. She gathered her courage. “Yes, let’s do it.” 

“Okay. Hop on.”

Anna cocked her head. “Hop on?”

Elsa blushed. “Get on my back, Anna. I’m faster than you.”

“Right, right. Sorry.” 

Elsa got down on one knee to let Anna climb up onto her back and for half a second Anna hoped the woman was going to propose to her. She definitely wasn’t beyond childish flights of fancy. Anna climbed up piggyback on Elsa and settled, kicking her legs in front of them. Elsa’s hands locked under her knees for support.

“I’m not too heavy?” 

Elsa chuckled, bouncing on her knees to feel Anna’s weight. “Nope,” she said, “I think you’re just right.” Anna would be lying if she said she didn’t redden at that. She didn’t get time to think about it further and lurched as Elsa leapt into the air, and did her best not to scream. They landed three stories up on an apartment building roof, Anna out of breath.

“Whoof. I feel light headed.”

“Sorry.” Elsa turned her head to smile apologetically. “That’s the worst of it, I promise.”

“Okay, I’m trusting you on this!” Anna shook her head to throw out the vertigo and bounced in Elsa’s grip. It was thrilling, and nauseating, to fly through the air with such ease. Did Elsa feel like this all the time?

Elsa leapt across an alley to another building, the wind carrying Anna’s hair behind her. Anna found it was easier if she exhaled on their landings. They traveled across the skyline like that, navigating unseen above the city streets. It wasn’t particularly comfy, but it was fun as hell.

“Anything I should know before we get there?” asked Anna.

“Stay quiet, and let me know if it gets to be too much.” Elsa landed and grunted, then leapt again, clearing another story. Anna resisted the urge to cry out with joy. “I don’t want to scare you.”

“I’m already scared, Elsa. Seeing this will make me less scared.”

“Right, right. Just want to make sure.”

“Yeah.” Even in the sky with the wind whipping around her face, Anna could smell Elsa’s cool, reassuring scent on her back. She wanted to cuddle her close, hold her, like she always did. “Hey, we’ve got a moment before we get there, right?” It was as good a time as any, and she needed to spill her heart before she burst after not seeing her foster mother for nearly three days. 

“We’re heading towards an old cemetery near the edge of downtown, so it’ll be a little bit.”

Anna startled. “You’re not going to eat a corpse, are you?”

“Well, yes…”

“I mean an old one!”

“No, Anna.” Elsa huffed. “That would be disgusting.”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

Elsa snickered, and darted across a long rooftop garden. “So what did you want to talk about? You sounded like you wanted to say something there.”

“Oh, yeah,” Anna inhaled, holding her breath and releasing as they dropped off the edge of a hotel and landed a story down. “Elsa, what are we?” Anna felt Elsa flinch under her. “I mean, like, we both like each other, we said we loved each other in the car, which I do, I do love you, but I know that’s not really okay? We both know it’s not okay, but we still flirt, like, constantly.”

Elsa sighed. “I’m sorry. You’re right, it’s not okay.”

“I’m sorry, too. I know I’m acting on my feelings for you. I said it would be alright as long as we didn’t do that, but I am anyways. I think given what happened with Hans, and seeing you almost die again, it’s been hard not to.” 

“Mm.” Elsa sped up and jumped, flying over a four-lane highway. They landed another two stories down, jostling another groan from Anna.

“Part of me feels like we shouldn’t push away what we have, you know? Especially with all the demon stuff, our lives aren’t really normal.” Anna let her voice drop an octave, and she wasn’t sure whether Elsa would be able to hear her. “I want you, Elsa. Would it really be so bad to let us have this?” 

Elsa heard her, but didn’t respond. Anna didn’t think she would. Held close against her back, holding on for death life, Anna almost felt like she could feel the turmoil in her foster mother’s heart from outside her body. Another few blocks. Elsa shook her head and made a pained, growling noise with her throat.

“We can’t, Anna,” she said. Anna hadn’t expected any other answer. 

“We have something, though!”

“We do.” It sounded like an admission of guilt. “Anna, I want you, too,” Elsa swallowed after speaking. They leapt up again, flying onto a storefront, “but you’re a minor. You’re my responsibility. It wouldn’t be right.”

“Sweetie, we’re going to a cemetery so I can watch you eat a human heart.”

Elsa grunted at her. “It’s different. I want to, Anna. Really. But.”

Anna felt Elsa’s resolve wavering, and became angry at herself that she hoped it would break. So selfish. She hurt, of course, but that wasn’t an excuse. Anna wanted Elsa more than she’d wanted anyone else. Rejection stung, even if she knew she wasn’t working with a lot of experience to draw on. Still. Anna gripped her thighs tighter around the woman between her legs, wishing she could think those same words but with a different context.

“Okay,” Anna said as they dropped to street level and Elsa darted through a thickly wooded park, “sorry for pushing.”

“I’m sorry, too. I’ve been encouraging a relationship between us without stopping myself.” Elsa shuddered with pain, “I said we shouldn’t act on feelings or wants but then I kiss your forehead to wake you up.” She weaved between trees, her balance impeccable. “I’m a hypocrite.”

Anna hugged her arms tighter around Elsa’s shoulders, doing her best given her awkward position to show her love. Her messy, lusty love. “I think we should talk about that. The intimacy, I mean. We cuddle, we hold hands, we’ve slept together,” her voice trailed off and Anna felt Elsa’s breathe hitch in her arms, “I don’t want to lose that, but I’m afraid if we don’t stop we’ll keep escalating.” Not that I’d have a problem with that, Anna thought. She thought about optioning the obvious option: she could find another foster parent. Haha, fuck no. She was certain Elsa was having the same thought, and found it telling that neither of them wanted to bring it up.

“Okay,” Elsa said, “yes, okay.” She dashed around a fountain and Anna leaned into the curve to help her turn. “Do we want to maintain that intimacy, knowing we can’t do anything to further it?” Elsa coughed. “I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I can do that. It would, well, it would hurt too much.” There was a tangible sadness in her voice, and Anna wanted to do nothing but hold her forever. With breaks for snacks and the bathroom, but yeah.

“I agree,” she admitted, “though I also feel like I’m kind of person who’d do it anyways.”

Elsa laughed. “If our latest interactions are anything to go by, I think I am, too.”

They shared a moment of levity. God, they were both so bad at telling themselves no. “I’ll miss it a lot,” she said. 

“Me too.”

Anna wriggled on Elsa’s back, and kicked her feet into the wind. “I want to verbalize for the record that I’m agreeing to this intimacy ceasefire, but I think we should keep talking about it and keep each other updated on how we’re feeling.”

She could hear the smile in Elsa’ reply. “Definitely.”

“And,” Anna paused for emphasis, “I want to be the first person to know if you change your mind, because I still think we should go for it even if I respect your hesitation.”

She felt Elsa sigh more than heard it. They sped forward, and a silence fell. Anna wondered if Elsa would reply a moment before she did. “If I change my mind, you’ll be the first person to know.” She said it quietly, as if she were afraid someone might hear.

“Good.” Anna smiled. “I love you, you know,” the words out before she could stop them, “not just in a weird sexy way, either.”

“I love you too, sunshine.” Elsa’s response was immediate, “and not just in a weird sexy way, too.” Anna didn’t miss the teasing in Elsa’s tone, and nuzzled the back of her neck in reply.

“So, hugs are good?” Anna asked.

“Yes.”

“But no cuddling? No sleeping together?”

A pause. “No.”

“No kisses? Anywhere?”

“Nope.”

Anna hurt inside. “Got it,” she said.

They exited the park and darted through several small alleyways. Anna couldn’t reach her phone, but she guessed it was nearing midnight. When they arrived at the cemetery on the city limits, Anna was near freezing from the wind chill. She rubbed herself warm as she hopped off Elsa’s back and pushed through the tall, gothic iron gate looming before them. The rest of the cemetery was hidden away by an ancient cobblestone wall, unseen. She never knew this cemetery existed, and felt like she was stepping back in time. 

Tombstones old and broken lined the unkempt dirt pathway. Anna got the impression this wasn’t a space many people visited often, or even knew about. Gnarled, rotted trees clawed up from the hard dirt and dead grass like skeletal hands. Elsa reverted to her demon form, and suddenly Anna understood the need for the worn, loose fitting dress. They crept through the aisles of the dead, heads down.

“Are you sure you’re not going to eat a graveyard corpse?” Anna asked under her breath.

“No. Hush.”

She did. They passed over a slight hill, and in the faint glow of the city gloom Anna could see a figure kneeling before a grave. As they drew closer, Anna saw the figure had long, silvery hair and wore a tattered black suit. The gravestone was larger than the other surrounding markers, and was topped with a stone angel long since cracked from age. When they were steps away, the figure turned to look at them, and their eyes went wide at the sight of Elsa. The scared person turned all the way around and began to crawl away, pushing their back up against the tombstone.

“We’re not here to hurt you,” Elsa said, her voice soft as she kneeled in the dirt before her prey. Anna did her best not to think of this dying person as Elsa’s prey, but. She was going to eat this person? Part of Anna’s guts were still screaming at her to run, to save herself, but this was Elsa. Elsa wasn’t a bad person. She would see this trough, even as her insides tied into knots.

“Monster, monster!” cried the elderly human, still trying to back away. 

“Hey, it’s okay.” Elsa sat all the way down on the ground and crossed her legs. Anna watched in wonder. “I’m not going to hurt you, but you are going to die pretty soon. Is there anything you want to say before you pass?” 

The person blinked, eyes searching for some way to escape. “You’re going to kill me?”

“No, but I can sense that you’re close to dying. I’ll hear you out if you’d like to say any final words.”

“That sounds an awful lot like you’re going to kill me!” 

Elsa didn’t reply. She sat and hummed, tracing her fingers over the ground. The human parted their lips to speak, but closed them again. Wind rustled the trees above. Anna stayed further back, tense as taught iron. 

“I miss my partner so much,” they said to Elsa eventually. 

Elsa nodded, silent. The figure stopped panicking. They looked at Elsa, then closed their eyes. Anna watched the human drift away, shocked to find the process of death so obvious before her eyes, their life leaving their body without them even knowing it. 

“I’m so tired.” And they were gone. Anna gaped, hands trembling. Just like that, she’d watched someone die. A stranger she’d never known, all alone before a grave in a cemetery no one remembered. Shivers ran up her spine, and tears welled up in her eyes. She wiped them away, sniffling. Her hands shook violently. 

Elsa stood and walked over to the body. “I can see lives as glowing auras,” she said.

“You mentioned that,” Anna said, her voice shaking.

Elsa turned to face her, eyebrows knitted in worry. “Are you okay?”

“I will be. Don’t stop.” Anna measured her breathing, focusing hard on the air entering and exiting her lungs. It helped.

Elsa looked back at the fresh corpse. “I can use the auras to track people, to keep my own spatial awareness, and to see when people are dying.” She crouched, and ran her chilly fingers over her prey’s forehead. “Usually, everyone looks the same, or near enough that it doesn’t matter. But, it’s always clear when someone’s about to reach the end of their natural lifespan. Sickness, cancer, injuries. I don’t know why until I arrive on the scene. And sometimes, it’s not clear. Every day I walk past people who look just fine but have time limits that are almost up.” 

Anna moved closer to Elsa, her desire to nurture outweighing her fear. Elsa never asked for this, she reminded herself. She would die if she didn’t do it. Anna sat next to where Elsa was kneeling by the corpse’s side. Already their skin was growing pale and cold. 

“It’s heartbreaking.” 

“I’m so sorry,” Anna said.

“But I’m thankful,” Elsa became quieter, her hand caressing the corpse’s cheek, “because it allows me to eat without hurting anyone. To keep living.” She turned to Anna, her eyes weary. “Are you ready?” 

Anna nodded, unsure if she would ever be ready for the first time she saw what she was about to see. Elsa took a deep breath. Anna watched intently as her guardian sunk her claws into the flesh above the person’s heart. Blood spurted on Anna’s leg, and over Elsa’s arms and face. With a few cracks, she’d broken away their ribs. Tenderly, Elsa pushed past the muscle and sinew to where the heart lay, then sliced away the arteries and veins holding it in place. 

When Elsa lifted the lump of flesh out of the body Anna thought she was going to vomit. She held it back, prepared this time. Slick meat trailed after Elsa’s hands as they rose up. She glanced at Anna, hesitant. Then she closed the heart in both hands and dug her teeth in. It bled profusely, life and vitae spilling from the creases between her fingers. A sight as mesmerizing as it was horrible. Elsa looked so desperate, hungry, and like she was in deep pain. She didn’t take any pleasure in the gesture, Anna saw. She couldn’t imagine raw hearts tasted very good. Ice formed around Elsa’s fingers. She used the little blades to chop the flesh into smaller pieces and popped them into her mouth quickly, chewing as fast as she could. Her hands and face were a mess of red. 

When Elsa was done, she let out a sigh, and fell back onto her rear in the dirt, heaving. Anna watched, patient, her head thrumming in her skull. Elsa caught her breath and wiped her face with her arm, then like magic she seemed to glow. Arcs of pale light danced up and down her exposed skin like cracks in ice. Elsa smiled, relief washing over her like soothing water. It was over, and she looked good. Happier. Recharged. There was an energy that Anna hadn’t seen before, like she’d woken up at the exact moment her body was ready to begin the day. 

Anna scooted closer to her, and away from the bloody corpse. “May I hold your hand?” she asked. Maybe even that was too much, she wasn’t sure. But she needed Elsa to know she was still there, still willing to stand by her side.

Elsa frowned at her. “You’ll get blood on you,” she said.

“I don’t care.”

Elsa smiled, her face plastered in red. “In this particular case then, yes, I would like that.”

Anna took Elsa’s hand, weaving their fingers together. It was chilly and Elsa’s flesh was even colder, but Anna didn’t care. She was holding Elsa’s hand in the snow in front of a corpse, and she felt like she was sitting in a dream. They listened to the sound of cars accelerating in the distance. Small, fragile flakes fell from the sky and floated around them. Anna squeezed Elsa’s hand, and reflected.

“How are you feeling?” Elsa asked.

Anna sighed, her anxiety settling down. “It’s wild, like. Yeah, that was disgusting, but it was also so. Humanizing? I dunno. You really didn’t want them to suffer.”

Elsa shook her head. “Never.”

“Before, I thought of you like a predator. Now? Not really,” Anna laughed to herself, “I feel like I should freak out more, but after everything I’ve seen?” Anna laughed, and there was a hollowness to it, “It wasn’t that terrible.” And it wasn’t. The person was going to die anyways, and if she was being honest with herself, now that she’d seen in it first hand she was far more worried about keeping her promise and abstaining from intimacy with Elsa. “You choose to help people pass when you don’t have to. You’re almost like a smiling, sexy grim reaper.”

Elsa looked her over, then glanced at their joined hands. “You’re amazing” she said, “how can you even stand the sight of me after seeing what you have?” She laughed. “You should hate and fear me, like all these people I eat do.”

Anna’s heart fell, and she grit her teeth. “How could I hate you?” Anna asked, meeting Elsa’s eyes, “you didn’t ask for this. It’s not your fault you have to eat people to live.”

Elsa hummed, squeezing Anna’s hand in thanks. “You’re right, I didn’t,” she said, “but do you understand why I wouldn’t want you to have to do this? Unlike me, you get the choice.”

Anna chuckled. Of course she did. Her fear was still there, peppering her insides with cries, though it was far quieter now. Eating hearts was repulsive, but it wasn’t every day. “You only have to eat like, what, every few weeks? I bet I could get used to it.”

“Anna.” Elsa squeezed her hand again, and for a moment looked as if she were going to move closer to Anna. She didn’t. The skin connecting them stuck together with blood.

“You said it was my choice.”

“It is,” but Elsa had pain in the lines of her face as she spoke, “I would never take the choice from you. But it’s so damningly isolating, Anna. Demons aren’t sociable and I barely have anyone I can consider a friend who gets it. Who I can be honest with.” Anna watched their joined hands, imagining the future.

“We’d have each other.” Elsa opened her mouth to be speak, “Ah ah,” Anna said, holding up her free hand. Elsa remained silent. “I know that’s not a good reason, and if I choose this I’ll choose it for me. I promise. But it’s also true that we’d always have each other, right? Even if I, well, left, we’d always be friends, right?” The thought of leaving was appalling, but she didn’t say that. 

Elsa shuffled her feet, big clawed things bursting from ratty running shoes. “I’d like to think so,” she said, averting her gaze. 

“So would I.”

Elsa groaned, her head slumping forward. “Don’t do it because of me,” she said. 

“I won’t. I do want to help, but I can do that while human too. I’ll figure it out.”

Elsa nodded, eyes half closed. “I believe you, I’m just afraid.”

“So am I.” Anna feared the life she could accept, but she also feared the part of her heart that wanted it so badly. The power. The superiority. She was afraid to accept for the wrong reasons. 

“I’ll support you no matter what you choose.”

“I know.”

The wind picked up and buffeted the two women with droplets of snow. Anna squeezed Elsa’s hand, pouring all the warm love she could muster into the gesture. She glanced at the corpse, which was still bleeding out into the icy cemetery grass.

“How does Maleficent even clean up these messed, anyways?” 

Elsa grimaced. “I don’t want to know.”

Anna thought about the possibilities, and didn’t come up with anything that wasn’t gross. “You know what I think that’s fair.” She laughed, scooting closer to Elsa until their shoulders were brushing. “It looks like we’ve got a house party on Friday, barring something terrible happens.”

Elsa glanced in her direction, smiling. “It does indeed.”

“My friends really want to meet you.”

“Oh?”

“They think you’re cool and mysterious.” Anna winked, and wished she could lean her head on Elsa’s shoulder. 

“I guess I’ll have to play the part, then.” 

Anna grinned. “Ooh, big mysterious Ms. Arendelle, descending from on high!”

Elsa laughed, but it was light and gentle. The blood on her face had hardened and cracked around her laugh lines. “I’ll be sure to put on quite a show,” she said, waggling her eyebrows and striking a pose.

“Hey,” Anna said, giggling, “you mind if I invite one more guest?”

“Go for it.”

Anna fished her phone from her pocket.

Anna: hey V  
Vanellope: yo yo yo its ms arendelle  
Anna: nooooo don’t kno what ur talkin about  
Vanellope: u sure?? ;) ;) ;)  
Anna: theres been a development in tht area actually bu first  
Anna: question!  
Vanellope: hit me  
Anna: i know u don’t have a car right now but do u think you could get to my place this Saturday  
Anna: ?  
Vanellope: ooOOOOOHHH  
Vanellope: what’re we plannin??  
Vanellope: i mean maybe like  
Vanellope: it wouldn’t be impossible  
Vanellope: is everything ok boo?? something happen??  
Anna: yes  
Anna: and well  
Anna: do you want to come to my slumber party?  
Vanellope: oh anna bb  
Vanellope: of fUCKING COURSE I WANNA  
Vanellope: AM I GONNA MEET UR HOT MOM???  
Anna: yes V  
Anna: ur gonna meet the hot mom  
Vanellope: this is the greatest fuckin day of my life  
Vanellope: i cant believe ur gonna give me this amazin beautiful gift  
Vanellope: ill find a way to ur house hell or highwater u can count on it!!!  
Anna: REUNION!  
Anna: (but please dont steal any cars)  
Vanellope: REUINION!!!!! (and no promises ;] )  
Anna: ugh FINE  
Anna: <3 <3 <3  
Vanellope: <3

Anna clicked her phone off and looked up at the black sky, her hand still in Elsa’s. When she rubbed her thumb in circles against the back of Elsa’s hand, she could feel flakes of blood peeling off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we are reaching smut chapter inevitability with each new post


	11. Anna VIII

The next day Anna awoke to the aroma of Elsa making her breakfast. She dashed down the stairs, grinning and stumbling and overjoyed to have her guardian up with her in the mornings once more. The fight with Hans felt so long ago. For once that winter, it was sunny outside.

“Careful now, it’s hot!” Elsa said, bringing her a plate of eggs.

“Some might say,” said Anna, “I like it hot.” She took a bite and burned her tongue, much to Elsa’s amusement.

Anna devoured breakfast, bantering with Elsa as she washed the dishes. The sun from the open window caught her skin beautifully and made it appear as if she were glowing. Together, they shared their dreams from the previous night, and talked about their hopes for the day. The heart eating from the last night had settled. Without another crisis imminent, Anna and Elsa could finally be casual again.

“I was thinking about writing some poetry today during class,” Anna said, “something about giant monsters and a trans girl who fights them.”

“Or you could, know, do class,” said Elsa, teasing.

Anna staggered in mock horror, “what? Never!”

It was wonderful. She jogged to the bus stop, Elsa calling after her out the door with one final jest before Anna left for school. Anna texted the woman her response along with a picture of a corgi rolling in grass. She ended up writing poetry all day. When Anna returned home she taught Elsa how to play Mario Kart in anticipation of the coming party. She wasn't very good at first, but she picked it up fast.

"I'm really more of a PC person," Elsa said as a blue shell shot for her in first place.

Anna snickered, and shoulder checked Elsa as she flew ahead of her. 

Anna went to bed smiling, but tense. She had her routine back in her life now that Elsa was well again. And just like her foster mother cooking her breakfast again, Anna’s usual allotment of lust had returned as well. She wanted Elsa, but was getting really fucking tired of the mental gymnastics making her feel bad about it. It was what it was. There was no use denying it, right? It wasn’t like they hadn’t talked about it, like they weren’t on the same page and both knew where they stood. Anna buried her face in her pillow. She was a big girl, she could deal with rampaging lust. A quickie with her hand helped ease Anna to sleep, and before she knew it she was out. 

The next morning, she was up and out of bed before her alarm rang. She hadn't done that in weeks, and not once since moving in with the regal Ms. Arendelle. Longing still colored her thoughts, but when had it not? Deep breaths, Anna. It's all gonna be alright. Even if there is a sadistic demon man with sideburns on the loose, and you want to fuck your mom.

It was during breakfast that Anna first began to notice something was wrong again. Gerda was cooking, not Elsa, which wasn’t altogether odd but she was tense. Her hands shook as she laid out eggs and bacon for Anna, her eyes darting all around the room. She was lost in thought, her mind distracted, and it struck Anna that it wasn’t something she’d really seen from the Arendelle maid before.

"Hey," Anna asked, taking a bite of eggs, "where's Elsa?”

Gerda flinched, her hands wringing in front of her as she met Anna’s gaze. Anna frowned as worry blossomed in her heart. Had something else happened? What now?

"Oh, well," Gerda said, struggling to find her words, "Ms. Arendelle has unexpectedly taken ill. She's confined herself to her, uh, her room, and asked that I see you off this morning." The woman smiled, sweat on her brow.

Anna narrowed her eyes. "Oh, no," she said. Gerda was lying. Why? If Elsa was unwell, if she even was unwell, it couldn't be serious, right? Did demons get sick? Gerda would tell her if it was something demon-related, wouldn’t she? Elsa would have, given all that they'd been through together. Anna held her hand after she'd eaten a human heart! It was sticky! Was Elsa unable to speak for herself? "Any idea what's wrong?"

Gerda turned her back to Anna. She began cleaning the dishes, scrubbing furiously. "No, but I don't think she'll be under the weather for long. It doesn’t look, uh, serious.”

"That's good," Anna took another bite of egg, "will she be well enough to attend the party this evening?" 

"I sincerely doubt that," Gerda said, a little too fast. She was making it up as she went, Anna realized. But why? Gerda looked desperate, not malicious. 

Did Elsa even ask her for help? Anna sighed, and knew already she was running late to catch her bus. "Hey Gerda," Anna said, shoveling the rest of her food into her mouth, "Elsa's gonna be okay, right? I'm really worried." And she was, but she didn’t have time to interrogate the woman further.

At that, Gerda turned back to face her. "She'll be okay," she said, her voice quiet, eyes inspecting the fridge, "I just think she needs some time. She wanted me to let you know your friends are still welcome tonight. Don’t cancel on her account." Anna scrutinized her. She saw under the woman's eyes deep, purple bags and weary lines. Had Gerda even gone to bed last night? Anna believed that Elsa was going to be okay given that Gerda was in full blown panic, but that didn’t mean something wasn’t still up, something potentially more sinister. Anna didn't like it. She wasn’t going to harass the maid for more information, though, not after seeing how poorly she was holding together. 

Anna thanked Gerda for the meal and dashed out the front door to the bus. When she was safely aboard, she found her phone and immediately began texting Elsa. Even sick, she’d have her phone by her bed.

Anna: hey, gerda was acting weird today. is everythin ok?

She waited, phone in hand and tensed, for the remainder of the bus ride. No reply came. Anna continued to text Elsa throughout the day, more and more frantic messages each time, the knots in her gut twisting until she had to excuse herself from fourth period to catch her breath outside. Hours passed.

Something was wrong. Maybe not something major, but it was dire enough that Gerda wouldn't tell her what was happening and Elsa wasn't replying to texts. What the fuck went down last night? Anna hoped her guardian was okay. Prayed, even. She thought about ditching school, but didn’t want to make more problems if there was already a threat looming. Couldn’t have the school looking for her if Hans was also on her tail, or worse, if he was already involved in the situation. The longer Elsa went without replying to her texts, the more Anna’s anxiety feared she’d gone after the sideburned fuck without telling her. Why, though? Why breach that trust? It had to be something else. Had to be.

At a certain point, Anna had to let it rest. She had school, and it required at least some of her divided attention to stay ahead. She’d work herself into another panic overthinking the situation without enough information to go on. She had to be calm. If anything, school would be a good distraction from the nihilistic machinations of her anxiety. 

Anna decided to check on Elsa after school. Gerda couldn’t deny her that, could she? Kristoff, Jane, and Rapunzel would come home with her on the bus, Anna would get them settled, and then she'd disappear for a minute to check Elsa’s room. Make sure she was okay. It was fine if she couldn't hang out with her and her friends. Whatever. Her people could deal. Check on Elsa, update herself on the situation. Knowledge. Awareness. Anna clung her plan like a safety blanket as the final bell rang, and she made her way to her bus.

Kristoff, Rapunzel, and Jane stood waiting for her, duffel bags of sleep wear and party supplies slung over their shoulders. Kristoff waved as Anna approached. She took a big gulp of air and put on her best smile, skipping towards them from across the lawn. 

"Someone's chipper," Kristoff said, holding up a fist.

Anna bumped it, grinning. She wasn't well, and maybe she should have said as much, but she didn't. She wanted her friends to have a good time, and Elsa was almost certainly fine anyways, right? "It's a nice day," she said.

Kristoff pointed at the overcast sky. "It's winter. And the snow melted."

"Still.”

"I appreciate your positive attitude, Anna," Jane said, perking up. She was arm in arm with Punzie, matching dopey grins on both of their faces. When had that escalated? Anna would need to pester them for details later.

The party boarded the bus and were off, speeding up the hill towards the manor. Anna sat with Kristoff; Jane and Rapunzel took the seat in front of them. 

"I brought some more games, just in case," Rapunzel said, sitting up and looking back over the seat at Anna and her brother. 

Anna quirked an eyebrow. "You think constant, never ending Mario Kart 8 for 10 hours won't be enough?" 

"It won't last that long because you're going to lose so hard you'll want to switch," Kristoff said. 

"Hey, bro? This is my moment," Punzie said, jerking her forefinger in his face, "shut up. Anyways," she pulled a few cases from her bag, "I brought some alternative entertainment just in case."

Anna beamed. "Oh shit, the Resident Evil remake? They ported that to Wii? And, oh fuck, Outlast? Be careful Jane, your crush here is into some nightmarish shit." Anna nodded her head in Jane's direction, and both she and Rapunzel glowed beet red.

"Haha, yeah, well," Rapunzel recovered, coughing into her hand. Anna smirked, her arms crossed, "I figured it would be fun to have a classic spooky sleepover. I brought movies, too. Paranormal Activity, The Shining, some other stuff."

"Did you bring Event Horizon?" Kristoff asked.

"No, Jesus fuck," Rapunzel glanced at Jane, who cocked her head, not recognizing the title. Anna did, though, and was glad Punzie hadn't brought it. She hadn't slept for a week after she saw it for the first time. Though of course, Vanellope had loved it. "Maybe when we're old enough to drink I’ll willingly watch that again.”

"You mean you didn't sneak alcohol from the liquor cabinet?" Kristoff patted his bag and Anna heard glass bottles jostle together.

She scoffed. "You don't need that. Wait until you see what Elsa has."

"For the record," said Jane, quieter than before, "I would like to opine that I'm not comfortable with underage drinking."

Rapunzel rested a hand on her back. "It's okay, we're going to be responsible," she glared at Kristoff and Anna, who sank in their seats, "aren't we?"

“Oh yeah, hella responsible,” Anna squeaked.

"Rapunzel, you don't have to threaten your friends," Jane said, ducking below the back of the seat to hide her blush.

"Nah, she doesn't," said Kristoff, "but she likes to." He grinned and dodged a playful swat from his sister.

"Oh, speaking of threats," Anna said, flipping out her phone, "I need to make sure Vanellope didn’t steal a car on her way up here.”

“She’s a criminal?” Jane asked, eyes wide.

“Jane, I’m a criminal.”

“Wait,” Rapunzel said, brow furrowed, “you are?”

“If stealing estrogen pills from old folks’ homes to help trans kids get their hormones is a crime, then yes.”

“I’m pretty sure that counts only by technicality,” said Kristoff.

Rapunzel cocked her head at Anna, lips pursed. She looked like she was thinking hard, fingers tapping the leather seat. “You know, crime is pretty sexy,” she said, “hey Jane,” she glanced at her friend, who was suddenly very alert, “do you wanna steal some candy from a grocery store with me?”

Rapunzel and Jane dove down a rabbit hole of conversation, flirting and bantering over the merits of premeditated candy crime. God, they were cute. Kristoff chimed in every once in a while with quips that earned him laughs and glares as Anna returned to her phone. 

Anna: aight  
Anna: so  
Anna: any theft today?  
Vanellope: o my god anna im on a bus  
Vanellope: u fuckin party pooper  
Anna: good  
Anna: i know that’s hard for you  
Anna: not drivin  
Anna: public transit  
Anna: thanks for coming out and doing that and not stealing a car  
Vanellope: fuck you <3  
Vanellope: does elsa hav a nice car  
Vanellope: she rich can i steal that one  
Vanellope: i promise ill treat it right  
Anna: ahahah actually  
Anna: about that  
Anna: her car is sorta smushed in on the front  
Anna: i ran over a demon man with it who was attacking elsa  
Valleope: YOU WHAT  
Vanellope: GIRL WHAT THE FUCK WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME  
Anna: I know I kno im so sorry bb its just  
Anna: lots on my mind  
Anna: i told u elsas been out for a few days and about the demon thing but like  
Anna: I forgot about the car bit  
Vanellope: girl that is the most fucking iumportant part why didn’t you TELL ME  
Vanellope: becoming a demon okay sure that’s cool but  
Vanellope: RUNNING OVER A GUY?  
Vanellope: GOD I AM SO PROUD OF YOU  
Vanellppe: SHOW THEM FUCKS WHO BOSS  
Vanellope: spoiler it u  
Anna: it wasn’t much  
Anna: Elsa fought a guy with lightning powers  
Vanellope: yeah i know HOW DID YOU REMEMBER TO MENTION THAT BUT NOT THAT YOU HIT HIM WITH A CAR  
Vanellope: god thats so fuckin metal I could hug u  
Vanellope: in fact I think I will!!!  
Vanellope: ETA 45 min bb girl :*  
Vanellope: god u hit a fuck with a car thats just so  
Vanellope: so rad…  
Anna: hhehehe  
Anna: im excited to see you!!! <3  
Anna: been way too long  
Vanellope: yup yup  
Vanellope: hope your new friendos aren’t A+ mouth breathers  
Anna: naaah theyre cool  
Vanellope: good  
Vanellope: did u tell them i have medals from six different Mario kart championships  
Anna: nnnope ;)  
Vanellope: fuckin  
Vanellope: excellent  
Vanellope: btw before were all together and we cant talk demon lyfe  
Vanellope: any news on that front?  
Anna: not really  
Anna: still on the fence  
Vanellope: fair  
Vanellope: hey if we both eat half the heart would we both becom demons or just half demons like els  
Anna: that  
Anna: is a really good question  
Vanellope: -ponders-  
Anna: speakin of tho  
Anna: elsa’s been actin weird like  
Anna: gerda says shes sick and wont come out of her room but she’s all like  
Anna: sweaty about it?  
Vanellope: gerda or els sweaty?  
Anna: gerda  
Vanellope: that tracks  
Anna: gerda is keeping mum about it and idk wahts up  
Anna: im really worried  
Vanellope: hmmm  
Vanellope: check when u get home?  
Vanellope: we can make wicked contingencies if that dont work  
Anna: thats the plan  
Vanellope: cool  
Vanellope: I take it hot demon mum aint gonna join us for teen party funtimes then  
Anna: unlikely  
Vanellope: drat

Anna glanced out the window, and saw her stop approaching a few blocks off.

Anna: were almost home ill keep you posted  
Vanellope: cool, im here for u  
Vanellope: lemme know if u need me to do any clandestine activitiez wen I arrive  
Anna: thanks beeb <3 <3  
Vanellope: <3

“Did she steal a car?” Kristoff asked after Anna tucked her phone away. 

“Not yet,” Anna replied, unable to wipe the smile off her face. Vanellope was her ace in the hole, and Anna was thrilled she happened to be visiting when she might need her skills the most. 

The bus pulled up to the stop and the four teenagers stepped down onto the street. They waded through the icy wind towards Arendelle manor, the building obscured by dark trees looming over the grounds.

“Jesus,” Kristoff said as they walked through the garden, “this is intense. How do you live here?”

“Easily,” replied Anna, “I sleep in a bed in my room, and eat food in the kitchen.”

“Dork.”

The front door was unlocked in anticipation of their arrival. The party stepped inside, kicking off their boots and hanging up coats. Anna watched Gerda hurry down the stairs to greet them, smiling but looking even more worn than she had that morning. The lines around her eyes were deeper, and her lower lip had developed a slight quiver.

“Hello,” she said, bowing slightly. Anna giggled as Kristoff and Rapunzel were thrown off balance by the gesture. “Welcome to Arendelle manor, my name is Gerda. Do let me know if you need anything.”

Anna tried to make eye contact with her, but the maid wasn’t having it, instead occupying herself with the new guests and their bags. “Gerda,” Anna said, “would you mind showing Kristoff, Rapunzel, and Jane here to the living room, and then maybe prepare some snacks? I need to run to my room for a minute.” 

Gerda opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t find words. She probably suspected Anna was trying to distract her to get at Elsa, but was she willing to make a fuss about it in front of their guests? Anna wasn’t sure.

When Gerda finally did speak, she didn’t object. Instead she threw Anna a pleading look and guided their guests down the hall to the big living room. Anna smirked, puffing up her chest. She darted up the stairs to her room and threw her backpack onto the bed, making sure she had her phone in her jeans pocket, then slipped back out and approached Elsa’s door. She was about to turn the handle when a firm grip snagged her shirt collar and tugged her away. She stumbled, yelping as she caught her balance.

Gerda stood behind her, arms crossed over her chest. She looked large despite her small height. “Anna,” she said, tone sharp, “Elsa needs her rest. Do not bother her.”

“You said that,” Anna crossed her arms, mimicking Gerda’s posture, “if she’s just sick, why can’t I go in and say hi?” Gerda’s face darkened. Anna scowled. “I don’t appreciate having the truth kept from me. Is Elsa really okay? What aren’t you saying?”

“It’s not my place to say. Now please, don’t go in there. Elsa wouldn’t want you to see her as she is.” Anna bristled. What did Gerda know? Why wouldn’t Elsa want to see her? They loved each other, damnit.

“Bullshit. Is the door locked from the inside?”

“Anna,” Gerda said, warning.

Anna worried her lip, and suppressed a growl. She was being blocked at every turn. What the fuck was going on? She’d confer with Vanellope and work up a new plan to get around Gerda. In the meantime, Anna needed some assurance. Words to tide her over. “Gerda, be honest with me. Is Elsa okay? She didn’t go out last night and get fucked up by Hans again, did she?”

Gerda stepped forward and set a gentle hand on Anna’s shoulder. When Anna met her eyes, she found the older woman looked sympathetic. “No, nothing of the sort. I promise. As I said before, she’ll be okay, she just needs time. And when this is over, I’m sure she’ll be happy to explain everything to you. But it really, really isn’t my place to say.” She stepped back, removing her hand from Anna’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Anna smiled. At least it was something, and she was starting to believe Gerda when she said Elsa wasn’t in danger. It wasn’t enough to settle her nerves, though. “Okay.” She shook her head, loosening herself up. “Shall we tend to our guests then?” Gerda nodded and headed down the stairs. When she reached the bottom she looked behind her and smiled when she found Anna was following. Anna would wait, but she wasn’t going to wait for long. She liked Gerda, respected her. But, she was too anxious about Elsa to let this one sit, not now. She’d wait until Vanellope arrived and they’d conspire. For a while at least, Anna needed to act like she really was going to wait until Elsa was better to see her. Not that she had any idea what Elsa was even sick with. If she was sick.

Anna found her friends in the living room, and was pleased to catch them gawking. “This is stupid,” Kristoff said, “I can’t believe how amazed I am by this. Why am I so amazed?”

Rapunzel snickered, eyes trailing over the walls of paintings and photographs, “well, this is pretty incredible.” 

“I feel like I might step wrong and break something worth a million dollars at any minute,” Jane said.

“Same,” repeated Rapunzel and Kristoff.

“Well, if you’re done ogling my foster mother’s nest egg,” Anna said, stepping onto the carpet and clicking on the console with her toe, “would anyone like to get stomped in Mario Kart?”

She ended up on the edge of the couch, scrunched down and leaning over her controller, and side by side with Kristoff. Jane and Rapunzel were sitting like normal people, backs up against the couch cushions. Punzie’s legs were resting over Jane’s lap, and they kept exchanging little glances. It didn’t surprise Anna that they were both near last place. 

“I swear to god, you’re going to lose this time,” Anna said as Kristoff passed her for the fifth time. 

He smirked, bumping her shoulder with his. “No, I think not. Oh, look,” he said, hitting her with a green shell, “what’s this? Something knocked you back in 6th? What luck!”

Anna growled and leaned further forward, her eyes glued to the screen. “Be nice, Kristoff,” Rapunzel said from beside them. Jane whispered something that Anna couldn’t’ hear, and after a silent moment Punzie broke out laughing. 

“Having fun?” Gerda asked as she entered the living room, a tray in hand.

“Gerda,” Anna said, “you’re amazing, and thank you for the food. But I can’t turn to look at you or all my pride will burn like the Hindenburg.” 

Gerda chuckled, setting the tray down on the coffee table. “Why Anna, I’m surprised you even know that that is.” 

“Hey!”

Don’t let me interrupt,” she said, a smile in her voice. “Kristoff, don’t let Anna win.”

“Yes, ma’am! And thank you very much for the food!” Kristoff cried as he leaned into his controller, his avatar on screen drifting around a curb and just barely dodging a rogue green shell. Anna snarled and shoulder checked him.

“Yes, this is lovely. Thank you very much!” Jane said as she started picking through a plate of fruit for strawberries.

Anna accelerated, boosting towards the finish, but it wasn’t enough. Kristoff took first again and let out a whoop, shaking his fist in the air. Thankfully, his victory was short lived. Anna knew the cavalry had arrived when a familiar tune knocked on her front door, loud and firm, audible even from down the hall. A moment passed, then a voice cried out from the foyer

“What’s up my primo bitches!” Vanellope yelled at the top of her lungs. Rapunzel and Jane startled, bouncing in their shared seat. Kristoff whirled to face the hall, confused. Anna sighed, a doofy smile on her face.

“Come on,” she said to her friends, gesturing for them to follow as she left the couch.

Vanellope was standing legs apart, hands on her hips and fucking posing, as she engaged in a very animated conversation with Gerda. Anna smiled. The girl was wearing her favorite teal hoodie matched with a black skirt, candy-cane styled tights, and leather boots. Vanellope dressed so distinctly, and she reminded Anna of a fleeting sense of home.

“Please keep your voice down,” a frazzled and tired Gerda was telling her, “Ms. Arendelle is ill and trying to rest.”

“I’ve heard! She’s hot with the fever, you might say?” Vanellope waggled her eyebrows. Gerda was unimpressed.

Anna bolted, tearing across the foyer as fast as her legs would carry her. Vanellope saw her and lit up like a firework, opening her arms wide. Anna swept the shorter girl up in a massive, clambering hug, cackling as she lifted Vanellope off the ground. “Anna! Oh my god, girl, I’ve missed you so much you bad bitch!” Vanellope said, arms tight around Anna’s shoulders.

Anna spun, carrying Vanellope through the air as they laughed together. “I missed you so much you criminal, it’s been too fucking long!”

“I know, right!” Vanellope cried out in joy, “I’m here, you’re here, we’re both here!” 

“We are!” Anna stopped and set Vanellope back down on her feet, unable to contain her giggling, but the girl grabbed her by her shirt and tugged Anna down into a kiss. Vanellope chuckled against her mouth. Not to be outdone, Anna wrapped Vanellope in her arms, leaning into her and drawing her lower lip between her teeth. Vanellope laughed, smacking Anna’s shoulder and making Anna snort. They broke apart, faces inches away and bright crimson.

“It’s so good to see you again,” Vanellope said, a warm smile stretching across her rosy cheeks, “I haven’t said this to your face in ages, you stinker, but I love you so, so fucking much.”

Anna cupped Vanellope’s cheek, “I love you, too, you asshole.” And she did. Vanellope was the most important person in Anna’s live, save Elsa.

“Asshole?” Vanellope crinkled her nose. “I’m sorry, do I smell like shit? Hey, lady!” She turned to a shell-shocked Gerda, “do I stink?”

“Oh my god, you don’t stink.” Anna clapped her friend on the back and she staggered, waving a finger in Anna’s face with a smirk.

They were interrupted by the sound of Kristoff clearing his throat. Anna and Vanellope faced the open foyer and found Rapunzel, Jane, and Kristoff watching them, eyes wide and each a little red in the face.

Vanellope made eye contact with each of them, head cocked. “What, not familiar with a little casual intimacy between gal who are pals?”

“I, well that was, I mean,” Rapunzel said, fidgeting. 

“I’m just fucking with you, put ‘er here, champ!” Vanellope extended a hand for Rapunzel to shake, which she did. Anna beamed.

“Jane, Rapunzel, Kristoff,” she said, containing herself, “this is Vanellope, my oldest friend.”

“And your most reliable, I might add,” Vanellope winked at Anna, “guess what I didn’t do on the way here?”

“Steal a car?” said Jane, her voice quiet.

“Oh, so you’ve heard of me!”

“Hard not to, with an entrance like that,” said Kristoff, an eyebrow raised.

Vanellope cackled, sauntering over to him and slapping his shoulder. “Hey, that was good! I like this one, Anna!” 

“Um, Anna,” Gerda said, stepping into the circle with Vanellope’s duffel bag on her shoulder, “shall I put this with the rest?” Her voice came out as a drawl, and she sounded barely awake.

Anna nodded, apologetic. “Thank you,” she said, and Gerda hurried off down the hall towards the living room. 

Vanellope stepped into the center of the foyer and spun, taking in the walls, colorful carpets, and glass chandelier. She whistled. “Nice digs, A,” she faced the party and clapped her hands together, “so, is our lady mistress still aloof?”

“Aloof?” Jane asked.

“Yeah,” Anna stepped in, “Elsa isn’t feeling very well, I just found out. She won’t be joining us tonight.” A smooth lie. Vanellope didn’t give any indication that she knew better.

Rapunzel frowned. “Aww, I was really looking forward to meeting her.”

“Another time, for sure.”

“So, then if it’s just us youths,” Vanellope spun on her heel, doing a complete 360, “what’s on our evening schedule?”

“Well,” Kristoff said, smiling, “we were just playing Mario Kart and I was kicking Anna’s ass.”

“Mario Kart? What’s that?”

 

-o-

 

It didn’t take long for Kristoff to realize Vanellope was jerking his chain. And then it wasn’t long after that he realized she was in another league completely. His cries of anguish were met with cheers from Anna, Rapunzel, and Jane, who had made a cuddle puddle on the couch. After Kristoff was thoroughly trounced, Vanellope collapsed back onto the couch and joined the cuddle pile while Mr. Loser got up to put on The Shining. Gerda made them popcorn to Anna’s delight, then disappeared.

Vanellope wormed her way onto Anna’s lap, and the two provided the film with running commentary while texting each other at the same time.

Anna: gerda wouldn’t let me see elsa  
Anna: something hella up  
Anna: after we all go to bed, you and i sneak off  
Anna: stay awake  
Anna: cool?  
Vanellope: cool

As the film reached its second act, Anna got the impression that Jane had been wanting to actually watch the movie. She was going to say something, maybe apologize, when Rapunzel brought her around and she was yelling at the screen with the rest of them. Anna caught Punzie’s eye and nodded in thanks.

When the credits rolled, Gerda appeared as if from smoke and told the group to wind down. Vanellope resisted at first, but Gerda was at the end of her rope, bags deep under her eyes as she divvied out firm orders. Kristoff and Rapunzel pulled the fold up bed out of the couch while Jane and Anna scavenged pillows and blankets from the spare bedrooms and hallway closets. With the couch ends and the fold out, there was room for everyone to sleep up and off the floor. Kristoff took the middle while Jane and Rapunzel took the right, leaving the left for Anna and Vanellope.

“Do you think deer know they’re deer?” Kristoff asked as they were getting settled, everyone in their pajamas. 

“Do cats know they’re cats?” asked Anna.

“How is that even related?” Jane asked, snickering as Rapunzel cuddled up to her chest and held her tight.

“I dunno.”

“The sleep’s getting you hard, huh?” Vanellope said, elbowing Anna’s ribs.

“Phrasing,” Kristoff and Rapunzel said at the same time.

The lights went out, and all became dark in Arendelle manor. One by one the party drifted off, taken by the abyss. Anna waited, watching the ceiling and listening to the soft breathing of her compatriots. After she was sure everyone else was out, she poked Vanellope’s shoulder and the two snuck out from under the blankets. 

The floor was old and often squeaky, but they did their best to avoid making any noise as they snuck to the spare room near the kitchen. When they were in, Anna flicked on the light and sat down on the end of the lone bed. Vanellope closed the door, silent as the night.

“Why, Anna,” Vanellope said, popping her lips as she turned to face her friend, “if I didn’t know better I’d think you brought me here to seduce me.” 

“I dunno, maybe I did.” Anna stretched out over the bed, letting her shirt ride up on her stomach.

Vanellope snickered, her hands in the pockets of her pajamas. “Your friends totally think we’re fucking.”

“Oh, definitely.”

“Do you wanna nip that at all, or?”

“Nah, let ‘em guess.” 

Vanellope twirled and sat down on the floor with her legs crossed. “Works for me,” she said in the sultriest voice she could manage. Anna smiled, and booped her nose. “So, what’s the stitch?”

Anna sighed, composing herself. Business. “No reply from Elsa by text, even hours into the day, and after I tried to see her when I got home Gerda blocked the door and went on about it not being her place to tell me why she couldn’t tell me what was wrong.” Anna huffed. 

Vanellope nodded along, rocking on the floor. “She’s hiding the truth, and admitting it.”

“Yeah,” Anna sighed again, and glanced around the spare room, bare of anything save a bed, a carpet, and an empty desk. What had it been for? “I’m worried as hell, so obviously we’re going behind Gerda’s back and breaking into Elsa’s room.”

“Obviously.”

“Did you bring your stuff?”

Vanellope balked. “When do I not?”

“Point,” Anna stood from the bed and shook again, her eyes bleary, “Let’s go try the door.” 

“Aye aye, captain sassypants.” 

Anna checked the hall before they stepped out, wary that Gerda might very well be expecting them to sneak around under the cover of night. Silent, she and Vanellope scampered back down the hall towards the foyer and up the stairs to the second floor. They arrived at Elsa’s room in record time, and dropped to their knees before the hard wood. Anna gave the handle a tentative turn, but as she suspected it was locked. 

“Locked,” she said just above a whisper, “go.”

Vanellope got to work, her expression hidden by shadow. Anna heard rather than saw her produce a small pouch of tools and begin tampering with the lock, sticking small bits of metal in and turning them, listening for sound as she did.

It was slow going. Ten minutes passed, and Anna’s heart was pounding. If Gerda wanted to catch them, now would be the ideal time. Sweat dropped down her brow as she watched Vanellope work. Another five minutes. Anna paced her breathing, keeping her heart rate as low as it would go. Would she be in serious trouble if she were caught? Probably not, but she still didn’t want it to happen. She started coming up with contingency plans, working ways for them to escape depending on the direction Gerda approached from. 

A click, and Vanellope removed her tools from the lock. She turned the doorknob and the door swung up, revealing Elsa’s room. Success. Anna held her breath, waiting for Elsa to call out. For something. When she didn’t heard anything she looked at Vanellope and tried to make eye contact, unsure whether she was successful. Anna swallowed air and stepped forward into the room, deep shadows dancing across her form. 

Her eyes shot to the bed, but it was empty. No Elsa. Okay. Unexpected, not something she hadn’t considered. Anna strode all the way inside and beckoned for Vanellope to follow, closing the door behind them. The room was as dark as the rest of the house, but the moonlight steaming in through the window was enough to see vague outlines of furniture by. The bed was made, and for all intents and purposes looked as if it hadn’t been used in 24 hours. Where was Elsa? Anna tapped her foot on the ground, her teeth grinding together.

“Okay, now what?” asked Vanellope in a hushed tone. 

“Gimme a second.” Think. Where else would she be? 

When Gerda told Anna that Elsa was okay, that she would be okay, Anna believed her. She still did. That meant there were precious few places Elsa could actually be right now, unless she was out late for something completely unrelated. Anna didn’t think it likely. Elsa was a bit of a shut in, if she was being honest. Anna resisted the urge to pace as she thought, hyper aware of any noises she made. Vanellope watched her, patient.

If Elsa was still in the house, she’d need to be somewhere they wouldn’t have been able to hear her. No one was completely silent. That could be a lot of rooms, but if there really was a mundane explanation wouldn’t Elsa just be in her bed like normal? No, something was off, and this wasn’t mundane. The only place hidden away enough that Anna could think of was the basement.

Of course. Anna was surprised she hadn’t thought of it earlier, but then why was Elsa in the basement? Unless she wasn’t, which meant she probably wasn’t even in the house. If that were the case, well, Anna would panic then, because that implied a lot of things she didn’t like; Elsa could be in danger. Elsa could be dead. Hans could be involved. Anna’s breath hitched in her throat and she paused, breathing, refusing to go down that road. Eliminate the immediate possibilities first.

“Can you pick combination locks?” Anna asked.

Vanellope groaned. “I mean, yes, I can,” she said, her voice terse, “but that shit takes forever to do quietly.”

Anna nodded. “Okay.” She was already in the hole, might as well keep digging. “Let’s do it.”

Vanellope cracked her knuckles. “Lead the way.”

Anna and Vanellope crept back down the stairs to the first floor and found the door to the basement. They froze at the sound of steps, but quickly realized it was just Kristoff going to the bathroom. Anna really hoped he thought she and Vanellope were off making out or something, and definitely not doing anything clandestine when he found them gone. God, she was playing with fire.

Vanellope immediately got to work on the locks, taking care of the ones requiring keys in a little under an hour. She didn’t complain, and worked diligently. When she finally started in on the dials, Anna was feeling the weight of sleep encompassing her. She didn’t have her phone for fear it might ring or suddenly buzz, but she knew it must have been past 3pm. The night was slipping between their fingers as Vanellope worked. Each creak of the house sent new chills up Anna’s spine. She felt the pressure like water, burying her in the depths so far down only monsters lived there, and was sure she’d break under it soon. She stifled a yawn.

Another hour, and Vanellope dropped to the floor in a quiet slump. Even the slight noise made Anna flinch out of her stupor. The door swung open. Vanellope grabbed her ankle from the floor, glaring up at her. 

“You owe me,” she said, her voice hoarse, “you owe me so fucking much.”

“I love you,” Anna said, ruffling her hair, “and yeah, I owe you.” 

“Okay. I’m going to bed now. If there’s another lock, well,”

“There isn’t.”

“Good.” Vanellope patted Anna’s back as she stood and yawned. “If your boo ain’t down there, we’ll do something about it in the morning, okay?” She stopped, and made sure Anna was looking into her eyes when she spoke, “be safe,” she said.

Anna took her hand, holding it tight. “I will. Elsa would never hurt me.”

Vanellope nodded, and crept back to the living room where the rest of their friends were asleep. Anna remained still, holding position until all once again silent. She heard some rustling and grunts from the living room as Vanellope slipped back under the covers and probably kicked Kristoff.

The wind picked up outside as Anna waited. It brushed tree branches against the side of the manor, scratching and sighing. When she was ready, Anna took a long breath and steeled herself. She stepped through the door, closing it tight and dropping the iron latch behind her. 

Granite stairs descended deep into the hot earth. At the bottom of the flight, Anna could see a faint, warm glow seeping around a hallway corner. She swallowed, and began to descend. On the third step she heard a cry, and her blood froze. Anna’s teeth chattered. The noise was inhuman, monstrous and wild. She waited, patient, her heart hammering against her ribs, red and ripe for consumption. After counting to 163, the cry came again, lower this time, more pained. Anna thought about running, but she was going into the basement, damnit. For Elsa. For herself. If there was a monster, she’d figure out how to deal with it.

Anna took the stairs one at a time, which was as fast as she dared; the cry echoed up the passage at her in irregular intervals. The door, the entire basement, it all must have been soundproofed. She thought the basement would be quiet because it was deep, but she didn’t know it went that far. Was the crying why it was necessary? Anna reached the bottom, her hands shaking. The girl wished she’d worn something more protective than flannel pajamas, but the time for regret was past. She held her breath, waiting for the cry to come again, and stepped through the hallway and into the warmly lit room.

It felt like stepping into a hot spring. Heat barraged her from all sides; was it coming from the furnace in the corner? And the smell, oh it smelled. Pungent and warm, but also somehow like toasted cinnamon. It was thick in the air, heavy. There was something about the smell, though, Anna realized. She felt drawn forward, felt compelled as soon as it hit her nose. Nothing strong, nothing to cloud her judgment, but her heart was pounding, whispering to her brain that finding the source of the smell would be in her best interest.

The space was the same. The same work benches, the same grotesque specimen jars. The wall of weapons. Only now at the center of the room there was a mountain of blankets and linens strewn over a pile of cushions. Writhing on top was Elsa, her demon form on full display. 

Oh god, Elsa. She looked like she was in pain, her teeth gnashing, tearing at the cushions below her. The longer Anna looked, the more she seemed different. Was Elsa even bigger than usual? Were her horns longer? Anna strode towards the pile, her arms outstretched. Elsa was alive. She looked sick alright, but if Elsa had just had the demon flu why the fuck had Gerda kept it from her? 

“Elsa?” Anna asked, speaking at her normal volume again.

Elsa flinched, then whipped herself up into a sitting position. Her face was deeply flushed, her pupils black as night. Her mouth dropped open as she swallowed the hot air, and Anna smiled. Elsa was alive. She took another step forward.

“Anna, stop!” Elsa barked. Anna went still, her thoughts shaken. Elsa’s voice was deeper, more feral. Her fangs were longer and taking up more space in her mouth, slurring her speech.

“Elsa, gods, are you okay? I was, I was so worried!” She thought she might have lost her.

“Anna, please,” Elsa said, backing away on the pile of cushions. She wore the same dress from the night she ate, the cloth soaked through with sweat, spots of blood long since dried on the sleeves and chest. “Don’t come any closer. Why are you here? Didn’t Gerda, fuck, Anna, please you have to stay away!”

Anna hurt. Pain weaved and cut her heart. “Elsa,” she said, tears in her eyes, “what’s wrong? Gerda wouldn’t tell me anything! Why didn’t you want me to know you were in so much pain?” She stepped forward, and Elsa backed away further, her claws gripping the cushions and tearing into them, “Please, let me help!” 

“Anna,” Elsa said, “Anna,” and for a moment she changed. A huge, feral grin cut across her face. Elsa crept forward, saliva dripping from her mouth. Anna felt her fear return, felt it burn in her stomach. She stepped back, hands in front of her, keeping space between herself and the demon. Elsa winced, choked, then coughed, and she was shivering, back to normal. She shook her head. A sharp, high whine slipped from between her teeth. She was panting. “Anna, please, I’m in heat. I’m in heat. I just. I’m dangerous. I was out after the battle too long, I didn’t keep my calendar well enough. Fuck, I’m,” she coughed, “I’m sorry.”

Anna held her breath for five seconds, then let it out slowly. She measured her breathing, slowing her heartbeat like she’d taught herself in times of crisis and abuse. Calm. She was starting to understand how Gerda reacted. Elsa wasn’t in any state to make decisions about secrecy. It was scary, seeing her like that. “Elsa, I want to help. You’re in pain, and I don’t know what you mean. Can you explain?”

“Leave!” Elsa shouted, rage in her eyes. Anna’s heart skipped. “Anna, please. Please, please.” Elsa begged, falling onto her elbows and knees, her face in the pillows. “Go. You can’t see me like this. I need you, Anna.”

“I’m right here, Elsa. You can have me. It’s okay.”

“Anna. Anna, Anna, Anna.” Elsa chanted, more to herself than her charge, desperation in every twitch of her body. “Anna, I’m not safe. I’ll hurt you. Go.”

“Elsa, you won’t hurt me. You, you love me, remember?” Elsa nodded, lifting her head so Anna could see her eyes again. “How are you afraid you’re going to hurt me?”

Elsa was silent, and Anna watched the gears and levers working behind her pupils. Making decisions, weighing consequences. From the pain on her face, none of it was good. “Anna, I’m in heat,” she said again.

“Okay,” Anna said, her voice calm, “what is heat?” She was getting somewhere, working. Elsa was clearly sick with something terrible, whatever it was. There had to be a way for her to help. Watching Elsa writhe with anguish was breaking Anna’s heart. 

“Heat means I’m horny,” said Elsa, quieter than before. Anna felt the whole universe pause, her mouth dropping open. She didn’t speak. “I’m so horny I’m going to die, Anna. Anna. Please, you have to leave. It hurts. It hurts so much.” Elsa shook, and that look returned. The look of the hunter, the look that made Anna feel like prey and clutch her chest right above her thundering heart. “You smell delicious, Anna,” Elsa’s words were deep, husky, and tumbling from her throat. Anna’s mind hurtled, staggering from the new information. From the heat of the room. From everything. “I need you. It wants me to make you mine.” Elsa shook her head, harder, clawing at her hair with her nails. “Go, you have to go.”

“Elsa, if you can hear me, please. Just.” Anna glanced around, her eyes flicking to the wall of weapons. No. Not, not that, don’t be drastic. Control the panic. You just need more information, clarify. She won’t hurt you. “I’m, I’m going to ask some simple questions. Okay?” Elsa nodded, mewling and shaking. Their eyes met. “Do your best to answer.” 

Another nod. “Okay,” Elsa said. “But you have, have to leave.”

“I know,” Anna said, trembling, “Is heat, uh, heat how demons breed?”

A gurgled sound, then Elsa spoke, high and scared. “Yes.”

“And it’s a cycle? Like periods?” Sweat dropped off Anna’s nose, her breath growing beyond her control. She felt tight and constrained in her pajamas, her whole body slick with sweat.

“Yes.”

“How does it end?” Anna held her breath. I want to help you, Elsa. I can’t see you like this. Can’t know you’re hurting so much. That’s why Gerda hid all this from me, isn’t it?

Elsa snarled, and bit down on her hand, drawing blood. She blinked, eyes back on Anna. Her legs were twitching under her. “You ride it out,” she said, heaving, “or you satisfy it.” 

The words sliced through Anna’s resolve, peeled at her soul. She could stop this, she realized. It was a horrible thought. It was. But it sent blood shooting between her thighs, hardening her cock in her panties. Elsa needed her. She needed Elsa. She tried to rationalize. “How long does it last on its own?”

“Two weeks?” Elsa shook her head, “I don’t know, it varies, I just, Anna. Go. Go go go.” Two weeks was too long. Anna swallowed, sweat dripping down her brow into her eyes.

She licked her lips. If she helped Elsa through her heat, Elsa would be back to normal. They’d be ready if Hans showed up again. Like, this Elsa wouldn’t be any good in a fight, and they’d all die. She could help her. Elsa wouldn’t hurt her. Right? Elsa loved her. The bond was stronger than instinct, it had to be. Elsa was in control, even if her instincts were dragging her in directions she hadn’t wanted to go. It would be a mercy. Submit herself and let Elsa satisfying her need, then everything would be okay again. Elsa wouldn’t be suffering anymore, and they’d be prepared for another attack. It wasn’t like Elsa could get her pregnant. 

She tried to rationalize, but Anna knew she was getting just as turned on as Elsa was. Was it the pheromones in the air, or just their natural chemistry? Their love and lust? She wanted Elsa, ached for her, craved everything she had to give. Desperate and needy, suffering by her very presence, and so badly in need of her; Anna had never wanted Elsa more than in that moment. Would it be taking advantage of the situation to offer herself? She wasn’t sure. 

“Elsa,” Anna said, the words thick in her throat, “I hate seeing you suffer like this. If I offer myself to you, will that make it stop? Will you be okay again?”

Elsa writhed, her eyes wide and hungry. She rose up on her back legs, her claws extended from her fingers. For the first time that night, Elsa stood at her tallest, looming head and shoulders over Anna. “No,” she said, barely a word and more a growl, “don’t, Anna. Please. Don’t do that to yourself. Let me be.”

“But I want to help. And, Elsa,” Anna groaned, her legs trembling under her, “I want you. I want you so badly.” She could feel her cock straining against her underwear, begging for friction. 

Elsa shook her head. She bared her teeth, eyes aflame. “You’ll regret it. Go. The smell, go, Anna!”

“I wouldn’t regret it. I love you, Elsa. And I don’t want to see you in pain.” She took a step forward, but Elsa didn’t back away. “Let me help you.”

“I’ll, I’ll hurt you!” Elsa clenched her hands at her sides, fists shaking.

“You won’t. You love me.”

Elsa inhaled, haggard and worn. “I do,” she said.

“It’s your choice,” Anna said, “You’re not in a good state to make choices like this, I know.” Elsa shivered, and took a step towards Anna, a groan escaping her lips. Anna stood her ground, her eyes on Elsa, her gaze hovering above the woman’s human heart. “But I don’t want to watch you hurt like this for two weeks. I love you so, so much.” Anna took another breath, the heat swirling inside and outside her lungs. “I accept all of you.”

Elsa closed more distance, reaching the edge of her pile of cushions. Anna finished for her, striding forward and stopping just a few feet away. Elsa towered above her, her hands as large as Anna’s thigh. Anna took Elsa’s wrist, closing her fingers around tight. The woman sucked in breath, and held it. She met Anna’s gaze, and a moment passed in silence.

Elsa exhaled as she spoke. “You want this, too?” she asked.

Anna nodded, squeezing down on Elsa’s wrist. She saw something stir under Elsa’s dress, nestled between her legs. Fire burned in Anna’s core. She bit her lip, sucking at the flesh.

“I want to hear you say it,” Elsa said, a snarl in her voice.

Anna shuddered, a spasm singing up her whole body. She was sopping wet. “I want you, Elsa. I want you to fuck me. I want you like, like this, like you are every day, however and whatever you may be. Please.” Anna stepped in, their torsos inches apart. “Because I love you, because I don’t want you to suffer, and because I need you.”

Anna watched the magma flow behind Elsa’s eyes. The lust. “Just,” she said, “just so I can get through heat. Can’t be out,” she growled, garbling her words, “two weeks.”

Anna nodded. She opened her arms, offering herself completely. Every inch of her insides seared hot, her need absolute. Elsa moaned. Anna saw the woman’s cock spasm under her dress. She leaned down and they were kissing, Anna held tight in Elsa’s arms. Anna wrapped herself around Elsa, tried to get as close as possible, forcing their lips further together and full of need, tugging her own body up into the embrace. Elsa growled, and a shudder reverberated through to Anna. Then she was falling, tipping over, and they fall back together onto the pile of cushions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)


	12. Elsa V

 

Elsa burned. Red troughs of heat swelled in her peripheral vision, and even with her ice powers at work she ran hotter than a furnace sunk in a pool of lava. Her eyes swam with tears, blurring the world, coming back as she blinked them away. A barrier in her mind formed, only to melt away halfway up again. What was it?

Anna straddled her wide hips, suckling Elsa’s lower lip and biting down as if to claim her. The girl was barely half her size now. Elsa’s heat turned her feral and instinctive, her entire body swelling to match it, lust pumping in her blood like warm molten candy. Elsa sat atop the mountain of fabrics strewn across the basement floor, the only light glowing from the old disposal furnace in the corner. Her cock strained to be free from her underwear, the thin cloth long since soaked. Anna couldn’t know what she was doing, what she was risking. How could she? Why didn’t Elsa tell her about heat? Arrogant fool.

Elsa felt her heart rotting inside her at the same time that it sang with love and satisfaction. Anna’s fingers were taught in her short hair, Elsa's locks growing back in faster than expected but still taking their time returning in full, her lips drawing over Elsa’s, the girl moaning into her mouth and shuddering under her every touch.

Elsa did her best to be gentle. Her nerves sparked every time Anna touched her, her claws digging into the supple flesh of Anna’s bottom. Her mind warred with her body, screaming at her to be more careful. Oh, Elsa wanted the girl. It was so hard. She wanted every bit of Anna, wanted to fill her until she’s couldn’t take any more, couldn’t hold any more come or even stay awake. Elsa wanted to nestle Anna in her arms and hold her through the night, her cock still hard inside the girl’s ass. Her initial reservations were dying off like flies.

I’ll get to fuck her, Elsa thought. I can do that. She knew she was betraying something, betraying herself, the system, and the rules she’d set for herself. Why didn’t she care as much as before, though? Her instinct was changing her faster than her rational mind could process. Anna was offering, willing, needing, and Elsa couldn’t bring herself to say no. The lines of consent were growing harder for her to discern; was Elsa being taken advantage of by Anna while she was in her most vulnerable state? Or was it the reverse, and she was using Anna to satisfy her perverse wants? Elsa didn’t know. She didn’t have the energy, the coherence to puzzle it out. The heat of Anna’s breath, the warmth of the basement, the tension between her legs. She couldn’t focus on anything else.

The last vestiges of Elsa’s critical thought told her she couldn’t afford to be out of the fight for two weeks, and whispered that Anna was no doubt thinking the same thing. That was as far as the thought went. Social repercussions, legal repercussions. She couldn’t remember why she’d ever held herself back in the first place. The two halves of her mind, the instinct and the rational, grew further and further apart, a barrier erecting steadily between. This time, it wasn’t stopping halfway.

“Elsa,” Anna said, her breath hot on Elsa’s lips, “I want you. I’ve always wanted you, you know that. Please. Don’t hold back.”

It was all Elsa’s subconscious needed, the icing atop the girl’s hands dancing over Elsa’s flesh. Touching everywhere, feeling everything. Elsa flinched as the transparent wall solidified in the space of her mind, solid and unyielding. Something in her heart changed further, deeper than she’d gone before. Elsa snarled, gripping Anna’s rear in her claws until the girl cried out in pain.

Elsa saw her own hand reaching out and shredding the fabric of Anna’s pajama shirt. Her sheared through the cloth like it was wet paper. Anna squeaked, her eyes darting down to her exposed chest. God, she was beautiful. Elsa purred as she stroked a finger over Anna’s soft breasts. She removed the torn cloth of Anna’ shirt and cut through her pants and underwear the same way, tugging all of it off Anna’s glistening body with a few jerks of her wrist. Elsa’s mind swam with want, her instinct all but taking over, but she took great pains not to open Anna’s soft flesh with her frozen talons as she worked away the pajamas.

A moment later, Anna was naked. She looked fragile in Elsa’s hard grip, whining desperately, her cock erect between her shivering legs. Elsa licked her lips as her eyes roamed the body of her charge, taking in the freckles scattered over her chest, the tuft of hair above her groin, the scars on her upper arms, the pudge on her tummy.

Anna was a gorgeous young woman, and Elsa loved her. Wanted her. Anna blushed, watching Elsa look at her with a smile on her face. She scooted forward in Elsa’s lap. Her hands traced up Elsa’s sides to the hem of her dress sleeves.

“I want to see you, too,” said Anna.

Elsa growled, finding the girls eyes. You shouldn’t do this, a voice whispered from the barrier in her thoughts. You shouldn’t fuck your foster daughter, even if you want to, even if you’re in heat. Even if she offered. Elsa shook her head, the arguments long and distant from the smoothness of Anna’s skin under her fingers. Her thighs, her breasts. The girl sang in Elsa’s hands as she kneaded her chest, pulled at her nipples and leaned down to suck them into her mouth, wary of her own fangs. Anna moaned.

Elsa ripped through her dress, shredded fabric flying off in tatters. Her hands dropped to her sides and cut the elastic band of her panties. She grabbed a fistful of fabric and ripped. Soon Elsa was as naked as Anna, their two exposed bodies stuck together, her heavy cock on full display.

Anna’s eyes went wide as she watched Elsa’s sex throb. “Wow,” she said, “you really do want me.”

Elsa moaned. “Yeah.” So, so much. Want to make you come, want to fuck you.

Anna moved so the underside of her cock was flush with Elsa’s. The different in size was staggering. Anna swallowed, and Elsa swore the girl was reconsidering her life choices. Anna’s sex was small, which had everything to do with HRT and the effects of estrogen on her anatomy. Elsa, though, was a demon. When she went into heat everything got bigger, even if her rational side didn’t want it to. Anna bit her lip. She ogled Elsa’s cock, long as a larger human’s and thick as the girl’s wrist.

“Elsa, you’re beautiful.”

Elsa couldn’t find words to reply. She tipped Anna’s head up and kissed her, drinking her in and opening her teeth with her tongue. The woman fired her love and want into Anna through the kiss, and a bolt passed between them like lighting. Anna shuddered, grabbing onto Elsa’s breasts and shoulders for balance. Something changed in her. She bit and nipped, one hand reaching up and gripping one of Elsa’s horns to hold her still. Elsa throbbed. She sighed and reached down to stroke herself, her teeth catching Anna’s lips and cheek and tongue.

Anna pulled back to watch Elsa touch herself, a smirk on her flushed face. “Can I do that?” she asked.

Elsa grunted, both her hands finding Anna’s back and clamping down. Anna hummed and kissed her way down Elsa’s neck, biting her flesh hard enough to leave swollen bruises. The pain made Elsa harder. When Anna reached her breasts she stopped, taking a moment to grope her some more and squeeze the flesh between her hands. Elsa heaved with breath, and dug into Anna’s back with her claws. Red, glowing marks appeared after.

“You are so fucking amazing,” Anna said, breathy and hot.

Elsa whined, thrusting against Anna’s belly for friction. Anna smiled as she took Elsa in her hands and began to pull, soft and warm. Elsa saw stars.

“Fuck, Anna.”

“I love it. You’re so big and pretty.” Anna slid her palms over the flesh of Elsa’s cock and massaged the sensitive skin on the underside. Elsa felt she might burst from bliss. Anna twisted her hand, lightly twirling the skin just under Elsa’s head.

“Anna,” Elsa moaned, her hips bucking.

“Oh? Is there something you want?” Anna squeezed around the woman’s widest point.

Elsa snarled, and Anna flinched. She found her face, kissing her with her open mouth. Anna’s head fit neatly in her hands like a small melon would. The girl groaned into Elsa’s mouth as she lifted Anna off her lap and set her down in the heap of cushions, pressing her onto her back and holding her wrists in one hand above her head. Elsa straddled the girl. She traced her lips around Anna’s neck and collarbone, so easily could she draw enough blood to end Anna’s life.

“Elsa, oh fuck.” Anna writhed under her, grinding her cock against Elsa’s rear. She slid easily against Elsa, both of them wet with sweat, and thrusted against the soft flesh between her legs.

Elsa relished Anna’s desperation, and basked in the beautiful eroticism of it. She wasn’t sure the girl had meant to start grinding against her ass, but Elsa was more than happy to let her rut her heart out. Anna could barely move, pinned under her guardian’s heft. Elsa ground down, taking great care not to crush her charge. The girl’s cock was wet and twitching beneath her, Anna struggling against her tight grip. She wanted to touch. Elsa could see it plain as day, but wasn’t of a mind to let her.

Elsa relished her position on top. She rubbed her heavy cock over the girl’s tummy as Anna mewled under her. Elsa lowered her head to suck Anna’s nipples, biting just hard enough on each to make the girl scream for her. Elsa grinned, her head foggy with want. The barrier in her mind was solid.

Anna belonged to her. She’d willingly given herself up, willingly wanted to help Elsa through her heat. She was hers. She’d surrendered every lovely, hot inch of her, and Elsa found it hard to remember why she hadn’t fucked the girl over her kitchen counter the first day they met.

“Elsa, not so hard,” Anna said, her breath catching. She pushed harder against Elsa’s hold on her wrists, whining. Pain and pleasure mixed in her core. Elsa smirked into the girl’s skin and bit down on the flesh above one nipple, hard and sharp and unrelenting. Anna jolted. She hissed between her teeth. “Fuck, Elsa! Hey! That fucking hurts! Elsa!”

Anna cried out as blood dribbled from the wound on her breast. Elsa pulled back to stare into the girl’s eyes, licking wet blood from her lips as she did. Anna trembled. Something Elsa didn’t recognize burned behind her eyes. The girl’s cock twitched under her. She growled and leaned in to kiss Anna, whose hands were still crossed and bound above her head.

“Elsa,” Anna said against the woman’s lips, “please, not so hard. No blood. Please.” Was she afraid?

Elsa broke the kiss and cocked her head. Blood was the sweet sugar of the act, the fresh viscera as important as the bodies doing the performing. “No blood?” Elsa didn’t recognize her own voice.

Anna shook her head and bit her lip, her eyes glancing off Elsa’s. “No blood. Please. I love you, Elsa.” She was shaking. Her eyes glimmered with tears.

Anna’s look sparked something inside Elsa, a distant, pained feeling, and she heard someone pounding on the glass barrier in her mind, screaming. The shrill sounds of the voice cracked the barrier and sent spider webs down its surface. It hurt. Elsa groaned, her heart aching. The reasons why danced behind her eyes, ethereal and unknowable. She didn’t know what had happened, but she understood.

Elsa nodded at her charge. “No blood,” she said. She dipped her head back in to lap at the wound with her tongue, and cleaned up the rest of the blood. Elsa purred softly. “Love you, Anna. Love you so much.”

Anna giggled, her smile returned. “Thank you.”

Elsa kissed the wound she’d left in her lover once last time and sat up, releasing Anna’s hands. Anna shook them out, sighing. When she was done she rose to meet Elsa’s lips, wrapping her hands around Elsa’s ass and squeezing as she thrust against her. Elsa grunted. She gripped Anna’s hair, pulling her off her mouth.

Anna snickered. “Maybe we can do blood someday. Definitely need to talk about it when you’re feeling well, first.” Elsa wasn’t sure what she meant. Thinking beyond the moment was leading her to distant, blurry thoughts that slipped between her fingers like sand.

There was only Anna. Anna, Anna. Elsa growled and shoved the girl back down into the pillow. She thumped onto her back, wincing. Elsa stepped off Anna’s lap. The girl whined as her cock met the air again. Elsa kneeled between her thighs and lifted Anna’s legs up around her waist. Anna locked them tight. Elsa leaned down, looming, claws gripping the fabric on either side of the girl’s shoulders.

Anna sucked in air as Elsa rested her cock on her belly. It dwarfed her sex by several  
magnitudes, it’s weight heavy against her skin. Elsa found the girl’s eyes and snarled, her teeth bared. Anna hesitated, eyes wide. The woman spit into her hand and slicked herself up, drawing her fist down over her length. Anna grabbed Elsa’s wrist when she finished.

The girl’s lips were quivering. “Go slow,” she said.

Elsa grunted and felt her cock twitch against Anna’s belly. She needed to be inside Anna, needed to feel her insides, needed to fill her and make herself come. Elsa curled a finger so her claw pointed towards her palm and lathered the knuckle in saliva. She found Anna’s entrance and began massaging: pushing in little by little until her charge was gasping underneath her, sweat beading on her forehead and chest. If Elsa used an extended finger, her talon would shred Anna from inside to out. No blood. No blood; Anna loves you.

When her Anna was ready, Elsa lifted her cock from the girl’s tummy and leveled the tip with her entrance. Elsa heaved, her hands trembling as she willed herself not to slam her hips forward. Anna shook. She cupped Elsa’s cheeks in her palms, smiling.

“It’s okay,” she said.

Elsa nodded, and pushed. Her charge gasped and shut her eyes as Elsa slid the first bit of her tip inside. Anna opened for her, tight and warm, her walls stretched as far as they would go.

“Elsa, oh fuck, fuck, Elsa shit you’re so fucking big. What the hell!” Anna was writhing, her hands falling from Elsa’s cheeks to clamp onto her neck for support

“Warm,” was all Elsa said. She watched her cock glide into the girl, centimeter by centimeter, the fire in her abdomen close to engulfing her, until her head popped in entirely. Anna squealed like an animal. She was anything but still as Elsa rested inside her, the first hurdle crossed.

“Elsa,” she said, “do it. Fuck me. Please, you need to. I need you to.” Another hammering on the cracked glass inside Elsa’s mind. Another confused cry.

Elsa grinned, a genuine and stupid smile spreading over her face. Anna chuckled in response, her breath shallow. Elsa wriggled her hips. She churned her tip inside Anna, sliding herself at the front of Anna’s opening. With a growl, Elsa thrust in to the hilt.

Anna threw her head back, her eyes clamped shut. A quiet scream emanated from her throat. Her eyes watered. Anna bared her teeth, hissing. Elsa sighed. Her muscles loosened as the full length of her cock twitched inside Anna’s warmth. Finally. The girl was so tight, so wet from Elsa’s saliva.

“Anna,” she said, sliding a few inches out and making the girl squeal, “Anna, Anna, Anna.” She pushed back in all the way, and held herself there. Anna gasped for breath, unable to keep a grip on Elsa’s neck. Her arms fell beside her, splayed out and sweaty.

“Elsa,” she said, “oh fuck, Elsa.” Anna flexed her lower muscles around her guardian. Elsa shuddered, her lower lip clamped between her fangs hard enough to bleed. She was fucking Anna. Finally, finally. Her heart glowed like the sun. “Fuck me, Elsa, please. Use me. Let me help you, I want you so bad.”

Elsa lowered her head to kiss Anna. She was gentle, suckling her lips and pecking her tongue, but Anna pushed up into her, greedy. Elsa sighed. She dropped onto the girl’s torso, holding the bulk of her weight on her knees. Her hands snaked down to grip Anna’s hips like steel.

Elsa drew all the way out, slow and steady, Anna’s voice growing higher with each inch that left. When only her tip remained inside her charge, Elsa thrust back in, jolting Anna a few inches higher on the cushion pile. Anna tried to reach for Elsa’s shoulders, her horns, something, but her arms were too heavy to lift. Elsa growled. She pulled Anna back to where she had been, and made sure to keep kissing her as she began rutting hard into her ass.

Anna’s moans were sharp. She broke her mouth from Elsa’s just to scream. Elsa buried herself in the girl, fucking her into the ground with all the strength her size and muscle could muster. Pounding her. She squeezed Anna’s hips in her grip as she thrust, relishing her walls and warmth anew with each go. She listened for the sound of her pelvis slapping against Anna’s ass. Elsa sped up, pushed harder, holding her head in the crook of Anna’s neck. The girl was loud and wet and beautiful.

Elsa wanted Anna every day for the rest of her life. She wanted to wake up each morning with Anna curled around her and waiting to be fucked. She wanted to own her, claim her, over and over and over into the night. Anna’s ass, Anna’s breasts, her mouth, her hair, her stomach. All of it belonged to her. She wanted to make her Anna breakfast in the morning, then stride around the bar and force the girl on her knees to suck her off. She wanted to finger her in front of her friends during a social event and dare them to say anything, dare them to stop. Anna was hers. Hers.

“Anna,” she said, “love you, so much.” She was getting close. She sweat all over, and panted hot like a dog. Her heartbeat was wild, pounding up into her skull through her spine. She pumped her cock in and out of Anna like her life depended on it.

Anna smiled. “I, ah, love you too, Elsa.”

Elsa found her foster daughter’s lips and kissed as she thrust in to the deepest point and held herself there. She pushed to go further, but she had no more cock to give. Elsa shuddered violently. Her legs spasmed, and she struggled to keep from crushing Anna under her weight. Her orgasm ripped through her, her spine catching fire as magma spilled out through her system and stung her vision white. Clear, silky come shot from her heavy tip and into her charge. The excess fluid leaked out around the base of her cock. Anna groaned, bloated from Elsa’s come. Were Elsa not trans, not on HRT, she would have sperm in her come, but not anymore. Only the clear fluid remained as she discharged.

Elsa released a deep breath she’d been holding and gasped for air. She dropped her head onto Anna’s breast, her whole body falling slack atop the girl, with most of her weight still held up by her aching legs. She still shook long after climax. Elsa felt Anna hands in her hair, stroking. The girl hummed under her, the vibrations traveling through her chest and up to Elsa’s resting head.

“There,” she said, caressing one of Elsa’s horns, “is that better?” She struggled to speak, the exhaustion evident in her voice.

Elsa grunted in acknowledgement.

“Good.”

Elsa growled, the echoes of her orgasm fading into stillness. She lifted her creaking body and kissed Anna, pushing her love into the cushion pile and groping her breasts. Anna giggled, teasing Elsa’s lips with her tongue. She caressed the woman’s cheeks and neck with her shaking hands. “Not done?” She asked. Elsa didn’t respond.

She lifted the girl up with ease, sliding her cock out with a pop. Anna grunted. Turning Anna in her hands, Elsa set her back down on her hands and knees, pushing her chest into the cushion pile with a hand between the girl’s shoulder blades. Anna gasped as the air was knocked from her lungs. Elsa mounted her, hardening herself back to fullness with a few quick jerks against Anna’s rear. She thrust her cock into Anna’s gaping entrance from above, the girl keening and squirming under her. Elsa leaned far enough forward to bite down on her neck. Not hard enough to bleed more, just hard enough to mark. Anna cried out as Elsa shoved into her over and over, fucking her just has hard as she had before she came. The old come slicked Anna perfectly, and Elsa felt no resistance.

Elsa gnawed at Anna’s throat, her shoulders. She bit and licked and made her mark. Elsa reached one hand around Anna’s belly to her cock and began pumping, her hand wet with sweat and discharge. Anna wasn’t as loud this time: more low moans and grunts than cries. She was tried--Elsa was tired--but that didn’t mean Elsa was going to stop. Anna’s breath came faster, the flush on her back deepening. She was getting there, climbing the hill. Elsa timed her hand strokes to the sound of her hips slapping against Anna’s ass.

When she came again, she made sure Anna came with her. The girl writhed as her orgasm took her, and Elsa gripped her arms and held them out taught watch Anna squirm. It was a vision she never wanted to forget. Elsa’s own climax filled Anna further, more of her thick come bloating her ward’s already swollen tummy and spilling out from her entrance. Elsa gave the girl’s asshole a few more good thrusts, pausing and at the deepest part of each and sloshing her stomach. Anna quivered around her, tight and wet.

When Elsa felt satisfied that Anna was thoroughly fucked, she stood all the way up and lifted the girl in her arms. Her cock slid out easily and come dripped onto the ground. Anna nuzzled against her breasts, her eyes bleary. “Elsa?” She said, her voice just above a whisper. Heavy bags hung under her eyes.

Elsa carried her to one of the cleaner workbenches and set her down, propping Anna on her side with her rear up against the edge. Anna watched with wide, tired eyes. Elsa snarled, gripped Anna’s ass and hips in her hands, and thrust back in.

 

-o-

 

When she was finished, Elsa felt like a different person. Her mind was clearing, her rational thought coming back in trickles as the cracks in the wall of her mind spread grew. She held Anna in her arms. Elsa curled in a ball around the girl, pulling her tight. Anna panted against her breasts, shaking and groaning, come spilling out of her where Elsa’s cock had gone limp and popped out.

How many times had Elsa come inside her? Seven, eight? More than that? She had no idea what time it was, for the basement was hidden from sunlight. Oh yes, Elsa thought, I’m in a basement. Somewhere along the line she’d forgotten where she was and had been consumed with the act, her focus solely on Anna. The tightness of her hole, the softness of her breasts and stomach. The Anna that she loved.

The end followed quickly after Elsa came for the umpteenth time. Something in her head and heart clicked, and she knew she was done. Her heat was fading.

With the lust tempered, Elsa felt sleep dragging her down into the darkness. Her body shrank, returning to its normal demon size. She had been bigger when she fucked Anna, Elsa remembered, too big to feel human. She tugged Anna closer to her chest, nuzzling the girl’s soft head of hair, caressing her side and bloated stomach with her hands. She hummed a lullaby she didn’t know she knew.

“Anna,” she said, her voice more recognizable as her own.

The girl groaned, her head tucked away under Elsa’s chin. She was groggy, her body still trembling and twitching without end in sight. “Elsa.”

“Love you.” Her last orgasm finished, Elsa began purring in earnest. The sound of heavy vibrations filled the room. “Heat going away,” she said, “feel it.”

Anna sniffed, and raised a hand to her eye. “I love you too, Elsa.”

Elsa tilted Anna’s head until she could meet her eyes. Anna was red in the face, her eyes bloodshot. She was crying. “Anna?” Elsa frowned, and fear took a knife to her heart, slicing deep. The cracks in the glass barrier of her consciousness were growing. The something behind them hammered harder, begging to be let out. “You okay?”

Anna nodded. She cupped Elsa’s face in her hands and leaned in to kiss her, soft and chaste. “I’m sore,” she said, her voice croaking, “And bloaty. And kinda hurty. But I’ll be okay,” she smiled, a little bit of her deviousness slipping back in, “I liked it.”

Elsa smirked, and kissed Anna’s face everywhere she could reach. Her nose, her cheeks, her forehead. Even her neck and ears. “I liked it too.”

“No, really?” Elsa pouted, and kissed Anna’s lips. The girl giggled and embraced her.

Elsa was coming down harder each second. She almost felt like she should stay awake, wait for something, but she wasn’t sure what she would even be waiting for. Her eyes closed. Elsa cradled Anna against her breast, satisfied, and fell backwards into the abyss.

 

 

EDIT(12-17-2018)///BONUSART:

[ ](https://ibb.co/4MF4dSB)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I had to guess, I'd say this is somewhere between the halfway and 3/4 mark of the story. Depends on how much of my outlining I actually end up wanting to write. There will be more boning, more angst, and more fight scenes to come. Cheers!


	13. Anna IX

The sound of a fist pounding on steel drew Anna from her dreams. She stumbled out of sleep like a drunk, and tried but failed to quickly blink the night from her bleary eyes. The hammering continued, echoing down the long stairwell into the basement. Anna groaned. Every inch of her was sore. She tried to stretch her legs and arms but bumped up against Elsa, the woman still wrapped around her and purring softly. 

Anna assessed the damage to herself. Moving in any fashion hurt. Her legs and arms were covered with bruises just then beginning to glow purple. Claw marks and scratches arced up and down every length of her skin, and varied in intensity from light trails to bright red gouges. And, of course, there was her breast. On the flesh above one nipple she could see the puncture wounds from where Elsa had bit her. The skin was ripped in the telltale crescent signs of teeth. It was almost certain to scar.

Anna writhed in Elsa’s sleepy grip, the demon woman’s arms draped around her back and holding her tight. Her insides felt raw. Even wiggling her legs jostled the weight in her belly and flared the burn in her bottom. How many times had Elsa fucked her? Filled her? She didn’t remember, but the remnants of her guardian’s fury were plain to see. Anna’s stomach swelled with Elsa’s come, the thick liquid cradled heavily inside her. God, shitting was going to be unpleasant. 

Anna grunted and buried her face in Elsa’s breasts. The knocking from above continued. What time was it? What day? The pounding on the basement door paused and returned in intervals, like the person was taking breaks or switching off with someone else.

Elsa was back to her normal demon size. Did her cock always get so big during heats? Not that Anna minded terribly, but why the fuck hadn’t Elsa warned her? Heat haze? The sex hurt a little towards the end, but on the whole it was a profoundly arousing experience. Being taken, owned like that. Anna sighed, tickling Elsa’s skin with her hair. Elsa giggled in her sleep. Next time, Anna would have to find a way to stave off the morning after aches. Oh, but not the marks. Anna examined the scratches and bruises on her arms, catching them in the light of the furnace. No, she was quite in love with that aspect. The girl shivered and bit her lower lip. 

Finally, the knocking became too much for the sleeping demon, and Elsa’s eyes blinked open. Anna watched her groan and rub her eyes, looking around the room. She was just as exhausted as Anna, if not more so. Her breathing was slow and heavy, no doubt still putting together the pieces of what happened. Anna stayed silent and waited for the shoe to drop; Elsa took in her surroundings, processing. Her lingering gaze found Anna and she flinched, jerking the girl in her arms and bumping her raw bruises.

“Anna!” Elsa sat up and lifted Anna princess-style into her lap, “are you okay? What the fuck happened to you?” She inspected Anna’s every injury, her claws ghosting over the gouges and cuts she herself had made. Elsa didn’t seem to care that Anna was naked in her arms. 

Anna snickered. “Uh, you happened.” She held her breath, too nervous to elaborate.

Anna could see the realization blossom in Elsa’s thoughts. The memories flooding back were as clear as a light show behind her lovely blue eyes. For a moment Elsa looked blissful, only for pain and loathing to swoop in and drive the feeling away. The hammering up the stairs ceased, and the basement stilled in the quiet.

Elsa’s hands rose to cover her mouth. Tears welled in her eyes, and she shut them tight. Anna slid forward against the protests of her aching body to grab hold of her love’s shoulders. “Its okay, Elsa.”

Elsa trembled under her touch. “Anna, we had sex. I remember now, I, oh god.”

“Yes. Elsa, you were in heat.”

“That’s no excuse,” Elsa heaved, her mouth opening to reveal bared teeth. She opened her eyes and they were swimming with tears. “Fuck. I’m so, so sorry. It’s all my fault. I assaulted you, Anna.”

Anna shook her head. “No. I agreed. I offered.” She had. Even with the missteps along the way, she’d gone forward. She’d wanted to. Elsa cried. She looked defeated; shudders wracked her body. Anna caressed her shoulders, her cheeks. Elsa curled in on herself, her arms wrapped around her torso, claws digging into her arms. “Elsa, listen to me. It’s okay. I’m fine. It was good, I consented. Your heat is over.”

Elsa found Anna’s gaze. “Yes. But we shouldn’t have done that.” Her cheeks ran.

“You were suffering.”

“You’re underage.”

“So?” Anna frowned, “You were in so much pain.” Anna found it was harder than she thought to up and admit she’d wanted Elsa as much as Elsa had wanted her. “I didn’t want you to suffer for two weeks, and what if I’d needed you to protect me?” Anna sighed. “Elsa, I love you.”

Her guardian blushed. “You said as much as we were making love.”

“And I meant it. Every time.” And she’d do it all again in a heartbeat.

Elsa frowned, her voice cracking, “did you do it because you wanted me not to suffer? Or because you wanted to fuck me?” There was no malice in her words.

Anna hesitated. She looked away, finding the walls of biological specimens lining the room. What were they even for? She wanted to lie, right then. It would be so easy to hold the truth, to appear to Elsa the way she wished she could be. Utterly selfless.

“Both,” Anna said, finding Elsa’s hand with her own and squeezing. “I wanted to help you, and I wanted to fuck you. Maybe it wasn’t fair of me to make that choice that when you were so vulnerable, where you couldn’t say no.”

“I could have said no. It’s not like I’m helpless in heat.” Elsa shook her head, eyes downcast, “I just never wanted to.” She coughed, her eyes gleaming, “I had the thought so many times, but not once did I actually want to stop. Heat me is still me.”

Anna sniffled, and squeezed Elsa’s hand again. Even in the context of the situation, it was still flattering to hear Elsa say she wanted her. It gave her butterflies.

"It's okay with me,” she said, “all of it. The heat, the sex, you. I'm sore, yeah, and my tummy hurts from all that come, but like, it's okay. All of this was okay." Anna did her best to smile. "I promise."

Elsa’s voice quieted. "I still feel like I took advantage of you." 

"You didn't.”

Elsa grimaced, shaking under Anna’s touch. Her eyes clenched shut. "Anna, how are you okay with this? I was a monster, you saw it.” There was bite in her voice, a hot loathing.

A monster? Anna remembered what it felt like to learn that her foster mother ate human hearts to survive. Was she being too trusting of this thing, this state of lust, that she didn’t understand? Elsa had been so deliciously needy, but even at her most single minded she’d still stopped when Anna had asked.

“I guess, I just love you,” Anna swallowed. There’s only so much love can do, a voice whispered in her head. “And you wouldn’t hurt me.”

Elsa looked her up and down, incredulous. “Anna, I did hurt you. Even if you’re fine with the scratches, I made you bleed.”

“But when I asked you to stop, you did. You understood, even with your head in the clouds. You won’t hurt me. Not really.” Anna smiled, and this time it was genuine. 

Elsa clenched the fabric of the cushions in her fists. “I was an animal. I had no control. I fucked you, Anna. I took you over, and over, and over. Without even asking.” She sounded hysterical, “and you’re still not afraid?” 

Anna stroked Elsa’s short hair with one hand, and dried her tears with the other. “If I’d asked you to stop fucking me like that, you would have. And I’d let you fuck me again.”

Elsa glowed red. She dry swallowed, her breath coming shallow. They were naked with their bodies pressed together, and Anna could feel Elsa’s cock twitch against her thigh. Anna smoothed Elsa’s tangled hair, drawing her fingers slowly through the white locks.

“Okay,” the woman finally said, “but we’re not doing that again.” 

Anna’s heart sank, but she did her best not to show it. Her voice quivered as she spoke. “But what if you get another heat? What if Hans attacked?” As if that was what she was actually worried about. 

“If I ran into Hans while in heat, he’d be dead rather quickly.”

Anna cocked her head. “You sure you wouldn’t have fucked him?”

Elsa scowled. “No! That’s not how it works!” She snarled, and Anna leaned back and away without realizing she was doing it. “Not on my life. Never. He’d be a corpse before he even knew I was there.” Elsa sighed. Her tears were drying up, and Anna watched the fury drain from her face as her shoulders slumped. “Heat me is still me. My emotions become flared, my wants burn harder, but I’m in control. It’s just…weird.”

Anna nodded. “I’m glad.”

“Me, too. Hans? Yuck.” Elsa went to stick out her tongue, but shook instead as a hiccup escaped her throat. 

Anna smirked, failing to restrain her giggles. Elsa raised one eyebrow at her charge, and a smile was forming over her dry cheeks. Even yet, there was a quiver that remained in her face. Pain, loathing. A feeling she couldn’t resolve so easily. Anna cuddled up to Elsa and nestled her head under the woman’s chin.

“Is this okay?” she asked.

Elsa nodded, and wrapped her arms around the girl once more. Anna measured her breathing, calming her nerves and basking in Elsa’s warmth and touch. She accepted all of her, and nothing that had happened in the past 24 hours threatened that. There were just stumbling blocks littered all along their path. Nothing insurmountable.

“This keeps happening,” Elsa said quietly. 

“Huh?” Anna glanced up at her.

“I keep telling myself I’ll stop the escalation. The cuddling, the kisses.” She sighed. “I keep promising we won’t progress, but then we do, for one reason or another. I feel worse and worse each time, like I’m continually indulging in something I should stop but can’t. I want you so badly, Anna, but I can’t help but be terrified of what’s happening between us. Is there any way this doesn’t end with us together?”

Anna frowned, her fear welling up. It bubbled like stinging acid. She spoke just above a whisper, “would that really be so bad?” The girl nuzzled her face against Elsa’s collarbone and shut her eyes, waiting with anxiety for the reply she knew was probably coming. 

Elsa groaned. “I don’t know. Even putting aside the immortality of the situation, what if I really hurt you next time?”

“You didn’t this time,” Anna offered.

“But I did, even if it was just a bite. Maybe next time you don’t stop me before I’ve done something horrible. Something we can’t come back from.” 

Anna bit the inside of her cheek. “I trust you.”

“I’m not sure you should.”

Anna sniffled. She didn’t want to cry, not now, but she was tired, sore, and emotional. Why couldn’t it be easy? She felt like she was drowning in the tears before any at all appeared in her eyes. “I want to be with you,” she said.

Elsa didn’t respond. She was lost in thought, eyes half lidded, but her hand found Anna’s back and began to rub between her shoulder blades. Anna’s bruises darkened with each passing minute, her entire roughed-up body naked and exposed for Elsa to see. 

A loud rapping interrupted them, and Elsa’s hand halted on Anna’s back. The girl missed it immediately. A moment passed, and the hammering on the door began anew, harder and more tenacious than before. Anna groaned.

Elsa adjusted herself underneath her. “Would you mind going upstairs and letting everyone know we’re okay?” She asked. Anna leaned out of the embrace and tried to meet Elsa’s eyes, but she was staring towards the back of the basement, her gaze locked on a thick, steel door.

“What about you?” Anna said. The fear that had simmered spiked back into boiling. Elsa wouldn’t leave her, would she? Abandon her? No way.

“I need time alone to think. To breathe.” Elsa glanced at Anna, and smiled with the corners of her mouth. “I’ll be in the garden, okay?”

Anna wasn’t sure it was okay. but Elsa clearly needed time. “Will you come back in when you’re ready to talk more?”

“Yes.” 

Anna believed her. “What should I tell them? Vanellope and the rest, I mean.”

Elsa closed her eyes, and for a moment Anna thought she might fall back asleep. “The truth,” she said instead, “there’s no excuse that won’t get us even further in trouble.” Anna nodded.

She stood up onto wobbly legs, hands in the air to catch her balance. Elsa followed quickly to help her stabilize. The woman grabbed a blanket from the pile and wrapped it around Anna like a towel, tying it in the back for modesty. When she was done, she pecked Anna on her crown and strode towards the steel door, spinning it open and disappearing behind it.

Without Elsa, the basement was at least a hundred times creepier. What were those jars on the walls for, anyways? Anna looked around the cushions, really looked, and was embarrassed by what she saw. Fluids and discharge were caked onto the blankets and dribbled over the floor, long since dried. Deep claw gouges covered every surface, from the concrete floor to the soft cushions. A workbench near the wall of weapons was completely destroyed, and sat smashed down the middle in a heap of splinters and cracked wood. Anna didn’t even remember the table breaking.

Careful where she placed her feet, Anna made her way back to the stairwell leading up into the manor. She held her stomach like she was pregnant, groaning every few steps. The pressure sat heavy inside her. She hoped it would come out easily in the bathroom later.

The pounding on the basement door became louder as Anna approached. She climbed the last stair and let out a heavy sigh, groaning under the extra weight she carried. Anna rapped on the door to let everyone know she was coming through. God, was she really doing this? She wished she still had Elsa with her.

Anna took a deep breath. She held it long, and stood in a Superman pose for a dozen seconds to boost her confidence. The results were mixed.

She lifted the drop latch and pushed the heavy steel open. Anna stepped through, her hand flying up to shield her eyes from the daylight steaming through the high windows of the manor. She blinked, groaning between her teeth. Her eyes adjusted slowly. Anna shook her head, and when she could see again she found four sets of wide eyes watching her in awe.

Kristoff was the last one to knock on the door. His mouth dropped open, and Anna felt the watch of his eyes flicking between every scratch, cut, and bruise not hidden by her modesty blanket. Jane and Rapunzel stood behind him, aghast. Gerda and Vanellope were the furthest back, and the most opposite in reaction. Gerda’s hands covered her mouth, terror in her expression, while Vanellope was breaking into the biggest, stupidest grin Anna had ever seen. She appreciated the girl more than she could say in that moment.

Everyone began talking at once. Kristoff, being the closest, was the easiest for Anna to hear. 

“Anna, what happened?” He stepped forward, his hands moving in to touch her shoulders but stopping before they made contact. “Where did you go? Are you okay? Girl, holy shit, those bruises!”

Anna laughed despite herself. The truth, Elsa? How would that make the situation better? “Kristoff, it’s okay. It’s all superficial,” she thought of the bite on her breast hidden by the blanket, “well, mostly.”

Vanellope, her grin growing wider, piped up. “So did you get in a fight with a dog, or…?”

“No, silly,” Anna thew her a knowing look, “I’m fine, really.”

“You don’t look fine!” Rapunzel said, stepping into her space and running her fingers over Anna’s shoulder bruises. Anna resisted the urge to shiver. 

“Anna,” Jane said, her voice grave, “did someone do this to you?” 

“If they did I’m going to kill them,” Rapunzel stomped her foot, looking about like she was going to cry.

Kristoff balked. “What?” He looked between Anna and Jane, “Anna, you were just in the basement all night, right? That’s what Vanellope said,” He glanced at his sister, “how could someone have hurt her? You just fell down the stairs, right Anna?” There was a desperation in his tone that Anna hadn’t heard before.

Anna shook her head. The truth, Elsa? She wasn’t sure it was wise to tell her friends the truth, even if it would simplify matters. Vanellope had taken it well, but Vanellope was Vanellope, and Anna had gone through hell with that girl.

“It was Elsa.” Everyone fell silent. Gerda sighed, and looked at the ground, defeated. Anna felt a swell of guilt fill her heart. “Elsa was missing yesterday, so I went to find her. I did.”

“Anna,” Rapunzel stepped forward, and Anna swallowed at the sight of tears dribbling down her cheeks. “Elsa did this? The Elsa you rave about constantly?” 

Anna remembered something Rapunzel had said once. Something about her experience growing up with an abusive caretaker, surviving day to day with Kristoff. She panicked. “No, no, it’s not,” Anna groaned, “well, yes, it was Elsa, but,”

“She’s dead. Kristoff, we’re going to kill her.” Rapunzel’s voice shook, “or, well, we’re going to get her arrested at least.”

Anna waved her hands in the air, stepping between the twins. “No, no, I mean, Elsa gave me these bruises, but it was during sex. We had sex.”

That was the wrong thing to say. Anna looked between Rapunzel, Kristoff, and Jane, and watched as the color drained from their faces. She barely heard Vanellope wolf whistle and start clapping from behind them. Rapunzel stepped forward and hugged Anna, holding her tight. She was shaking.

“Kris, call 911. Now.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Vanellope said, her tone playful.

Rapunzel glared at her, teeth bared, “this isn’t fucking funny, Vanellope!”

Anna grabbed Kristoff’s hand as he flipped through his phone, stopping him before he could dial. He looked at her, paler and more afraid than she’d ever seen him. She tried to smile. Now she understood what Elsa had meant. Lies would only make things worse; only bring more attention to them.

“Elsa was in heat,” she said, “and she was suffering, so we had sex and now she’s better.” Anna took a breath, making eye contact one after another with everyone in the room, sans Gerda. “Elsa is a demon, and I’m in love with her.” The shoe drops. 

“Excuse me?” Jane squeaked.

Rapunzel and Kristoff exchanged looks, unable to respond. 

Vanellope chuckled, dropping her hands into her pockets. “Cat’s out of the bag, then.”

Gerda frowned at her. “You knew?”

“Yup.” Vanellope locked eyes with Anna and winked, but didn’t elaborate further. 

“Anna, okay,” Jane said, “you’re in love with your foster mother?” Her voice grew higher in octave with each word. Anna nodded. “And she did this to you? During, uh, well, during intercourse?”

“Yes. She was in heat. It’s like, demon mating mode, so I helped her work it out of her system.”

“What?” Gerda spoke. She stepped forward finally, pushing past Anna’s friends. The old maid was gritting her teeth. “You just, what, slept with Ms. Arendelle until she was tuckered out? Impossible.” She crossed her arms.

Anna snickered. “I mean, she did go for like, 8 rounds or something. Sort of lost count. I’m still full of her, well, you know.”

“Holy shit girl, TMI,” Kristoff said, stepping back with his hands up in a surrender.

“I dunno, Kris, I could definitely do to hear more,” Vanellope said. She slapped the man’s back and cackled, relishing in his discomfort. 

“I’m good, actually,” said Jane. Rapunzel nodded in agreement.

Gerda narrowed her eyes at Anna, scowling. “You realize, young lady, that you’ve committed a felony? That this was exactly the scenario I was trying to avoid by keeping the two of you apart during Ms. Arendelle’s heat?”

Anna sighed. “I did have an idea, yeah.”

“I knew she wouldn’t be able to resist you in her heightened state, and now look where we are! Where is she?”

Anna frowned. “You say that like I forced myself on her.”

“Well, she certainly wasn’t in a good place to refuse.”

Anna growled, her fists clenching at her sides. Gerda stepped back, startled. “It wasn’t like that. We talked about it. Before, and after.”

“Be that as it may, you’ve still put Ms. Arendelle in a tough position. She loves you too, you know that don’t you? You know how much conflict she must be feeling?”

Anna avoided Gerda’s stern look. “I do.”

“Well, at least you understand that much.” Gerda huffed, and looked past Anna to peer down the basement stairwell. “Now where is she?”

“Outside, in the garden. She said she wanted time alone to think.”

“Well, we ought to give her that, then! Now go take a shower, you reek of sweat and musk and other things unmentionable.” Anna saw no give in Gerda’s eyes. She wanted to run outside to Elsa again, but knew the woman needed time. Would it be long? 

Anna glanced at her friends. “But what about—“

“I’ll fill them in, now go, child!”

 

-o-

 

Anna grumbled as she hunched over her knees on the toilet, the remnants of the previous night’s sex exiting her body. It took far longer than she hoped it would, but eventually she was empty. Oddly, Anna found herself missing the feeling of lasting fullness provided by Elsa’s heavy come. She wondered when she’d get to feel like that again, if ever. It was like Anna had been carrying a bit of Elsa around with her every step she walked. 

The last of Elsa’s discharge dribbled down Anna’s thighs as she showered. She washed slowly, careful not to press too hard on her bruises. Her hips were especially marked to hell, no doubt from where Elsa had held on as she rutted repeatedly into her. The simple act of remembering it made Anna’s sex twitch again, but she was too exhausted to do anything about it. Clean and fresh smelling, Anna ventured back to her room to find new clothes. Her phone clock told her it was 2pm. 

She made her way down to the first floor quicker than she’d come up, a weight lifted from her body. Anna felt refreshed, and alive, albeit tired. If Elsa was so rich why didn’t she just have a fucking elevator? It could even include a spooky mystery button that had to be unlocked with a skeleton key first and led into the basement.

Anna’s friends were sitting together in the living room when she arrived, the couch returned to its normal position. They all looked her way as she stepped into the room wearing a raglan tee and jeans. Her hair was still drying. 

Rapunzel spoke first. “I’m sorry for freaking out on you, Anna,” she said, “but even after hearing an explanation from Gerda I’m not really comfortable with this.”

Anna frowned, and strode over to the couch. She sat down next to Vanellope, and the girl snuggled up to her side. “What did Gerda say?”

“She was a little reluctant at first to give any detail,” Vanellope said, practically purring against Anna’s chest, “but eventually she realized your friends here were already swimming in the deep end, so she told them about Elsa’s riveting history.”

“You’re mother’s a demon,” Jane said under her breath, locking eyes with Anna, “and she had sex with you.”

Anna winced. “Foster mother. Important distinction.”

“So how was it, then?” Vanellope asked, “she as good as you were hoping?”

Anna swallowed and nodded, looking sheepish. Vanellope chuckled and reached up to peck her on the cheek.

“Our girl likes it rough, it seems,” she said.

Rapunzel crossed her arms. “I could’ve sworn you knew that already.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Vanellope clicked her tongue and sat up, stuffing her hands into her hoodie pockets. Rapunzel snorted.

“It’s just,” Jane said, her voice quiet, “it’s not really appropriate at all for you two to be intimate, you know? I feel like she’s taking advantage of you, even if you agreed to it.” Anna grimaced.

“I love her,” she said. Vanellope nodded as Anna spoke, positioning herself next to her in such a way that it was clear to everyone who’s side she was on. 

“And she’s, what, ten years older than you?”

“Hey. Let’s not get heated,” Rapunzel said as she rubbed Jane’s back, her brow furrowed. “I mean, Jane’s kind of right though, Anna.” She looked between them both, “I’m worried about the power balance. She’s your legal foster mother, and you’re underage.”

“You know,” Vanellope chimed in, “I’m at least 110% sure Anna knows all that already. Kind of big details, ya feel?”

“Rapunzel’s right, let’s be calm,” Anna said, resting a hand on Vanellope’s shoulder. The girl visibly relaxed under her touch. Anna hesitated with her mouth open, choosing her words with care and very aware of the looks her friends were giving her. “I know it’s unorthodox, and kind of weird ethically.” What could she possibly say to get them to understand? To know how she felt? “But I love Elsa. She’s wonderful and kind, and a huge dork. We’d never done anything sexual before last night, and I swear it wasn’t abusive.” Anna made eye contact with her friends, pleading. “Please don’t tell anyone.”

“I’m not sure I can do that,” Jane said. 

“She didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Anna, you’re not really in a place to decide that. Don’t you see?”

Kristoff shook his head and put up his hands, interrupting them. “Let’s not do anything rash,” he said, “I don’t think it would be a good idea to jump to action when this is such a gray area situation. 

“Look at what Elsa did to her!” Jane pointed at the bruises climbing Anna’s forearms, the marks surrounding her neck in a complete circle. “Tell me that doesn’t look like abuse!”

Anna stood, her teeth clenched. “For the last time, Elsa didn’t hurt me!” Anna’s hand rose to trace the outline of the bite mark on her breast through her shirt. “Stop projecting your own fears here!”

Jane flinched, and reeled back. She looked at the ground. “Anna, please,” she said, “think about how this looks. Are you sure you aren’t just wishful thinking?”

“She’s not,” Vanellope said, standing up next to Anna, “Elsa loves her. She wouldn’t hurt Anna unless Anna was okay with it.”

Jane shot her a look. “Have you even met the woman before?”

Vanellope swallowed and shuffled her feet. “Well, no, but,” 

“See!”

“Jane,” Kristoff said, “I really think we should trust Anna on this. Especially if Elsa really is, well, a demon.” He didn’t appear convinced of Elsa’s innocence either, but Anna appreciated him taking her side nonetheless.

Jane crossed her arms, folding in on herself. “I don’t like it.” She found Anna’s hurt gaze, “Anna, I’m just worried.”

“I’m not lying to you.”

“I don’t think you are, but it doesn’t sit right.”

Anna crossed her arms, mimicking Jane. She was breathing hard, she realized, her calming exercises lost to her in a moment of anger and fear. Would Jane really report her and Elsa to the cops? To CPS? She knew the two of them would figure it out, somehow, but it wasn’t something she ever, ever wanted to deal with if she could avoid it. Anna sighed, and felt Kristoff’s hand on her shoulder, stabilizing her. “Please don’t call the police, or tell anyone who would.”

Jane didn’t reply. Rapunzel hugged her arm, pulling her closer. “I think we should trust Anna, Jane.” She glanced at Anna, wary. “At least, I don’t think we should do anything rash yet.”

“I agree,” said Kristoff, “You’re not stupid, Anna,” he said as he squeezed her shoulder. He took a deep breath, a war between the sides of himself evident on his face. “I trust you to know what you’re doing.” His words didn’t quite match his tone. 

Rapunzel frowned at her brother, but Kristoff didn’t appear as if he’d noticed. Anna clasped his hand in her own and smiled. “Thank you, Kristoff.” He nodded, sporting a forced smile.

A lull fell over them as everyone got their thoughts back in order. Vanellope broke the silence first. “I’ll be real, ya’ll, I find it kinda funny that you’re more panicked about the underage sex with a consenting minor thing than the demon thing.”

“Demons are hard to conceptualize,” said Rapunzel, “I still don’t even know how to begin processing that. But power imbalance in relationships? Situations that look abusive?” She glanced at Kristoff. “That’s tangible.”

That much, Anna could understand. She sat back down, pulling Vanellope with her.

Jane sighed. “Sorry for panicking,” she said as she tried to smile, “I’m just terribly worried, and quite a bit afraid.”

Anna drew her fingers over the texture of the couch cushion for comfort, and sucked in breath. It wasn’t like she thought her relationship with Elsa was a necessarily good idea, and in any other circumstance she’d probably be on Jane’s side. She had a point. The likelihood of a sexual relationship between a year 16 old and a 26 year old being anything other than totally fucked was astronomically tiny. “I know,” she said, “thanks for worrying about me.” Anna tried not to hold it against Jane, but at the same time, her relationship with Elsa wasn’t exactly the usual. What did she really know about them? 

“We love you, Anna,” Rapunzel said. 

“Here-fucking-here to that,” said Vanellope.

Kristoff chuckled and clapped Anna on the back, staggering her forward, but he didn’t say anything. Frustrated as she was, Anna couldn’t help but relish the electric surge of love that she felt within her chest. Her friends didn’t understand, couldn’t understand, but they cared.

“Thank you,” Anna said again, “but seriously, don’t call anyone.”

“Very well.” Jane tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, “but I have some choice words for your foster mother whenever she decides to appear. And I still might change my mind.”

“Deal.”

Anna and her friends ended up sprawled on the couch swapping stories long into the afternoon and early evening, reforming something akin to the cuddle puddle from the previous evening. Vanellope didn’t have a set time that she needed to be home by, and Jane, Rapunzel, and Kristoff had all made the necessary calls letting their folks know they’d be back later than expected. Given the current situation, everyone felt more time together would be best.

At every lull in conversation, Anna listened for the doors, a window. Any way Elsa might come back. She jittered with nerves. To help calm herself, Anna told her friends about the first time Vanellope lost her license, and the time they stole a rich tycoon’s car and crashed it into a road sign out in the boonies. Kristoff laughed harder than she’d ever seen, and Jane was horrified. Rapunzel smiled, and Vanellope added details wherever she could to emphasize how much real danger they’d been in.

They’d devoured three boxes of Cheez-Its when the front door opened, and Anna could hear voices in the foyer. She held her breath. A moment passed, and Elsa appeared on the living room threshold. She was in her demon form, her hair a mess, and had apparently found something to wear in the garden for she was clad in a simple black dress that covered her down to just above her knees. Deep bags hung under her eyes. Anna resisted the impulse to leap into her arms. She’d come back. Her anxiety was there with her, pumping behind her eyes, nearly causing her to tear up. Elsa came back. Of course she had.

“Hello,” the woman said, doing her best to smile at the group of teens gawking at her, “I’m Elsa Arendelle. It’s nice to meet you all.” 

Anna couldn’t help but smile as she heard the air leaving her friends’ lungs. All save Vanellope. The girl snickered and elbowed Anna in the ribs. “Niiice.” Anna pinked and did her best to ignore her.

“H-Hey,” Anna said to Elsa, waving. She gestured to her friends in turn, and Elsa made eye contact with each and smiled. “Jane, Rapunzel, Kristoff, and Vanellope, this is Elsa, my, uh,” her voice caught in her throat, “my Elsa.” Vanellope snickered. Not Anna’s best save, she admitted. “Elsa, this is Jane, Rapunzel, Kristoff, and Vanellope.” Jane’s eyes narrowed as her name was called out for a second time.

Elsa smiled at Vanellope, an eyebrow raised. “Vanellope? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Vanellope cackled and winked and Elsa, throwing up finger guns. “Same, sister.” 

Elsa flushed, and turned her focus to Anna. “Hey, uh, Anna.” The girl perked up, and felt hot through her skin. “Can we talk? Alone?” Anna nodded, and scrambled off the couch. She exchanged glances with her friends, Vanellope the only one looking entirely comfortable with the situation, and walked towards the entryway to greet her foster mother. Her friends could deal for a bit.

As Anna approached, Gerda entered through the hallway and grimaced at her. Anna had to resist the urge to stick out her tongue. She stopped in front of Elsa, a tentative smile exchanged between them, but the connection felt fragile.

Elsa left the room and gestured for Anna to follow. They climbed the stairs to the second floor and for a second Anna thought they were heading towards the balcony, but instead Elsa led her to her bedroom and beckoned for Anna to step in after her. She closed the door firmly behind them. Anna sat on the bed, doing her best not to read too much into the situation. Elsa strode towards a cabinet and withdrew a lighter, then cracked the window and began lighting the dozens of candles strewn about the space. Visions of a romantic, candle-lit dinner date flooded Anna’s mind. She inhaled air, dizzy, and forced herself to speak. Ground herself. 

“Are you feeling better?” she asked, keeping her voice down.

Elsa lit another candle. “I think so.”

“Good.” Anna didn’t know what else to add, and her anxiety was pounding in her head harder and heavier with each second that passed. “What did you want to talk about?”

Elsa finished lighting the candles, and rounded the corner of the bed to sit down across from Anna, crossing her legs before her. She looked haggard, and almost certainly needed more sleep. They both did.

“Anna, I’m going to do my best to be as honest as possible.”

Anna froze. Fear stuck down from the sky and ignited her, blinding her eyes. She gripped the blankets of the bed. “Okay,” she said. She wasn’t sure how much of the terror filling her showed on her face.

Elsa took a deep breath, and wrung her hands before her chest. She looked smaller than usual, even with her large size. “I love you, Anna.” The girl chuckled nervously. “I love you so, so much, and you set me afire like no one I’ve ever met. I want you. I want to be with you.”

Anna wanted to hug the woman. Hold her. She looked exhausted, and she sounded as if each word she spoke was a heavy labor. Anna wanted to comfort her; the woman was everything she wanted and then some. But, she didn’t. Anna stayed still as rock, waiting for the shoe to drop.

“But you’ve seen what I am. What I do. I eat people to live. I kill demons, people, to stay hidden. And I could live with all that, I really could.” She sniffled, and her shoulders shook. She began to cry, small and quiet like she was trying to hide herself. “But then I hurt you. And I’m afraid I might want you so badly that someday, maybe, I’ll hurt you again.”

Anna shook her head, her hands in a death grip on the bedsheets, “you wouldn’t. You said you have control.”

“I do! But even with control last night, I still hurt you. It could happen again,” Elsa grew louder as the tears fell heavier from her eyes. Anna felt her own cheeks grow wet. “What if I killed you, Anna?” Her voice dropped to a whisper, “it would be so easy.”

As much as she didn’t want to, Anna could see it. Wrapped in the throes of lovemaking, Elsa on top of her, leaning in, her mouth open wide. Biting down on her neck to leave a mark, and once, just once, biting too hard. The teeth that could shear human flesh like it was paper sinking too far into Anna’s throat, spilling her blood too quickly for anything to be done. Elsa, panicked and still in heat, would be unable to do anything fast enough to save her.

“Y-You wouldn’t.”

“But I might.” Elsa heaved, catching her breath, “and if the pattern holds, I know I won’t be able to talk myself out of dating you for much longer,” she sighed, a hint of a smile on her lips, “I want you too badly.”

Anna wiped tears from her eyes. “We could make it work.”

“No.” One word, final and resolute. Elsa shook her head, and sucked in another large breath. “Anna, I think we should find you another foster parent. What else can we do?”

The ground dropped out underneath Anna, and her tears returned in force. Her vision swam. Was she hyperventilating? The world cracked and bled around her, and a thousand memories spilling out from the gaps. “No,” Anna said as she began to sob. 

Elsa looked panicked. “But,”

“No!” Anna scooted forward, resting her hands on Elsa’s knees and glaring up into her eyes. The thought was reprehensible. “I won’ leave you. I care too much, and I’m in too deep.” She’d finally found a place. Somewhere she could feel at peace.

“Anna, we could still be friends,” Elsa sounded like she was trying to convince herself just as much as she was trying to convince Anna, “we could visit.”

Anna did her best to logic, betrayed as she was by her tears. “Do you think CPS would let us see each other if I asked to leave you? They’d want to know why, and what about my new foster parents?” Living separately Elsa wasn’t the biggest reason she hurt.

Elsa’s mouth quivered. “Well, when you’re 18…”

“What? I could ‘ome back?”

Elsa swallowed. “I’d want you to.”

“Could we b’ together?”

Elsa didn’t reply. Her eyes were wide. “I’d hope so,” she said, her voice quiet. Her hands were flush against her chest, still wringing together. She shook under Anna’s touch, trembled in the girl’s hands like she might break. They were both crying, two traumatized fools in love with each other. 

Anna ignored the tears flowing freely down her face. Elsa’s idea made sense, if she thought about it logically, even though her heart screamed in protest. No one could object or stop her if she decided to move in with and date Elsa after she’d turned 18. It was barely a year and a half away. But she was in too deep with the demons, unable to go back and see human society for what it was before she knew. And, there was something else. Something Anna hadn’t felt in years. The real reason. A place. Admitting it felt like acknowledging a corpse she’d long since buried.

“This is m’ home,” said Anna, “this ‘s the only place ’ve felt safe since I lost m’ parents. So please,” she forced back another sob, “please don’ make m’ leave.” She remembered her first foster parents, the ones who’d kicked her out for being trans. She remembered the next, and their judgment, and the next, and the next. Failures. She felt again the cold isolation of living in a house that was a cage filled with people who hated her. It smothered her chest like an old, horrible ghost. It was so familiar she nearly choked on it. Anna let her head fall, resting it on Elsa’s collarbone. She shook, her breathing coming harsh and hot. Tears dripped onto Elsa’s dress, disappearing into the black. “Please.” She cried, thunder in her soul. 

Anna felt Elsa wrap her up in her arms and tug her close, pulling her into a warm hug and kissing her cheeks and forehead. The girl curled in her guardian’s lap and sobbed. Elsa caressed Anna’s back as she cried loud and heavy into her shirt. Soft, sweet reassurances filtered into her ears. Anna wondered if her friends could hear her crying, wondered if they were afraid for her. If they saw, would it be enough for them to understand? 

“I’m sorry,” Elsa said, “I’m so sorry. No, of course you’re not leaving.” Her words were choked with sorry and regret. “I was stupid. You’re not going anywhere, my dear, unless you want to.”

Anna hiccupped. She wrapped her arms around Elsa’s torso, snuggling in tight against her chest. “I wan’ to s-stay.”

“Then you will. And I promise I won’t ever suggest that again. Okay?”

Anna smiled, despite herself. “O-Okay.” The hurt softened, the clouds inside her calming. She wouldn’t have to leave, and she could barely believe it. Elsa wasn’t going to leave her.

Elsa slid her hands around to Anna’s front to wipe a tear off her cheek. “We’ve still got to figure something out about us, though,” she lowered her voice, kissing Anna’s head, “but I won’t ask you to leave again. I promise.

“W’ will,” Anna shook her head against Elsa’s chest, “we can fix th’s.” She gestured her hand between them. 

Anna heard the smile in Elsa’s words when she spoke. “I hope so.”

Anna settled against her guardian, and relaxed as Elsa rubbed circles into her back. Her crying faded. They said together in silence, holding each other as close as could be in a room full of candles glowing like fireflies, the world outside forgotten. Anna felt like she could fall asleep. She wanted to, cradled as she was in her lover’s arms. 

The peace was interrupted by the sound of Elsa’s phone ringing, and it wasn’t its normal tone. Anna’s heart sank. She recognized the peculiar echo that Elsa’s phone made when Maleficent came calling.


	14. Anna X

Maleficent was waiting for Anna and Elsa in the foyer. Vanellope, Rapunzel, Jane, Kristoff, and Gerda were standing around her in a loose, spread out circle, unable to rip their wide eyes off of her. As best Anna could tell, the woman was ignoring them. Anna and Elsa approached, hand in hand, and stepped into the circle. Maleficent smirked at them. The air was tense; Anna saw her friends fidget, most of them looking too terrified to speak. Had Gerda gathered them? 

"Misses and misses Arendelle," Maleficent said, slow and mocking, "always a pleasure to see you.” She cocked her head. “Anna, you haven’t become a demon yet?”

Anna shook her head, staring down the woman looming over her. "No. Can you try to be serious?” She was testy, tapping her foot where she stood. 

"I am being serious, you fragile little bird," Maleficent straightened her back and knocked her staff against the floor, "you're not a demon, and we have a situation where you being a demon would have been helpful.” 

Anna snorted. Truth be told, she hadn’t had time to think about her pending transformation in a few days. Too preoccupied. She’d been crying into Elsa’s shirt not 10 minutes ago, and had to scramble to put herself back together when the call came in. She and Elsa weren’t done talking, not nearly. It grated on Anna to put their conversation on hold, and she knew she’d need to figure things out sooner than later. Elsa had promised she wouldn’t ask Anna to leave, at least, but hadn’t been able yet to think up any other solutions to their escalating and inappropriate relationship. It didn’t sight right to lack even the most basic draft of a plan. 

And then there was Maleficent and her haughty self, teasing them before a serious mission for seemingly no other reason than she enjoyed it. Anna couldn’t imagine how Elsa had worked with the woman so long without growing to loathe her. 

“I thought you said you’d meet us in the basement?” Elsa asked the demon Lord before them. She stepped forward, drawing Maleficent’s focus away from Anna. 

Maleficent huffed and ruffled her dark, outstretched wings. “Your basement, Arendelle, stinks of heat musk and sex,” she glared at Elsa and Anna, her nose wrinkled up, “and as happy as I am for the two of you, I’d rather not celebrate by holding our meeting amidst that rank.”

Anna blushed to her toes, and heard Vanellope giggle off to her side. Elsa didn’t look much better. “Sorry,” her guardian mumbled.

Maleficent rapped her staff against the floor again. “No matter, I’m sure it will remain that way for some time thanks to frequent use.” Anna nearly choked on air. Maleficent looked around the room at the crowd, finally acknowledging the other humans. “And who are these young ones? I do seem to recall a warning I gave about discretion, Arendelle.”

“They’re my friends,” said Anna, cutting Elsa off before she could reply, “we were having a sleepover when you showed up.”

Maleficent blinked, and glanced around the group. Jane was hiding behind Rapunzel, who was doing her best to put on a strong face. Kristoff looked as if he barely comprehended the situation, his jaw slack. Vanellope, of course, was grinning ear to ear. “How delightfully pedestrian,” Maleficent said.

“Yeah, slumber parties are like that,” said Vanellope, capturing Maleficent’s attention. The looming, shadowy woman was at least three heads taller than the girl, the curling horns atop Maleficent’s head making her stand even higher. “I’ve heard a bit about you! It’s nice to meetcha!” Vanellope stepped forward and stuck out a hand. “Put ‘er there, chum!”

“No,” said Maleficent. She waved her hand at the girl and Vanellope shrugged, stepping back again. Maleficent ended her survey of the foyer on Gerda, and smirked. “Gerda,” she said, “good to see you again.”

Anna balked as what could only be described as a blush crept up Gerda’s cheeks. “Maleficent.”

“Now then,” Maleficent straightened herself, “we have business to attend to. Normally, I’d give myself the pleasure of putting a healthy fear of demonkind in these sleepover humans, and then wiping their memories, but we haven’t time for that today.” Rapunzel and Jane paled.

“Is it Hans?” Asked Elsa. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes fierce. 

Maleficent scowled. “Yes, and he’s lowered himself to cheap taunts.”

Elsa snarled. Her tail snapped through the air behind her, cracking like a whip. Anna placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder and rubbed, unsure of how else to offer nonverbal support in that moment.

Maleficent waved her staff through the air and a cloud of green smoke puffed into existence. It swirled and formed the image of a cornfield as seen from high in the air. Anna swallowed. Burned into the ground was a question: ‘not so good at your job after all, Maleficent?’ Cheap taunts, indeed. What did he think he was doing, trying to aggravate a Lord into hunting him?

“Are we sure it’s not another demon?” asked Elsa.

Maleficent shook her head. “We’ve no reported incursions since your last fight with him. He’s baiting me, the swine.” She growled, and her wings flapped behind her like great, black blades. 

“You got some kinda history with this guy?” Vanellope asked. “An ex, or?” She trailed off and winked at Maleficent.

“Do you have a death wish, little one?”

“I dunno, try me.” And Vanellope blew the demon Lord a kiss. Maleficent fumed.

“They used to work together,” said Elsa, glancing at Vanellope and frowning.

“He worked for me, you mean.” Maleficent sighed and drew a hand across her forehead. “He started a riot to kill me, so I put him in his place. Unfortunately,” she said through bared teeth, “he escaped before I could relieve him of his spine.”

“Shame, I bet that would have been hot,” Vanellope said.

Maleficent didn’t bother to acknowledge her. “Hans is a small, irritating fool, and I’d prefer he be dealt with sooner than later. Are you ready to fight him again?”

“Of course,” Elsa replied.

Anna did a double take towards the front door. A shadow darted past one of the windows, but she wouldn’t had seen it had it not been for Vanellope making a rather lewd face at her while pointing at Maleficent. It was too big to be a bird, maybe a deer? Except, like, on the front porch? And right near downtown? 

“Do you know where Hans might be?” Elsa asked.

Maleficent bared her teeth, her eyes like shining death under her brow. “Not yet. I have crows circling the city, keeping watch.”

Anna felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to see Kristoff looking pale in the face. His mouth was hanging open, and he appeared to be holding onto her for balance. “Hey, are you okay?” She asked him in a whisper. 

“No,” he said, swallowing air, “Anna, this is so fucked. Demons, murder, underage sex?” He shook his head. “I was not prepared for today.”

“I don’t think any of us were,” said Rapunzel. She and Jane walked up beside them, arm in arm and looking in dire need of a nap coupled with some hot tea. 

The shadow appeared behind the window again, drawing Anna’s attention away from her friends. This time she was sure it was a person. They stop several paces in front of the door. A delivery man?

“This time, I want him dead, Arendelle,” Maleficent said to Elsa, “do you understand?” There was a hatred in Maleficent that Anna hadn’t seen before, an urgency. 

Elsa stiffened, and nodded. “Yes,” she said. Why hadn’t the person rung the doorbell? Anna felt her hands shake. Fear?

A piercing light began to glow outside the front door where the figure stood, and Anna’s eyes went wide. She opened her mouth to cry out, to warn everyone, but didn’t get the chance. A massive blast of electricity blew the door off its handles and enveloped Maleficent and Elsa. It blinded Anna and threw her onto her back, the air socked from her lungs. Her ears rang, and everything was white. 

She struggled up onto her elbows, her back crying out in pain. Anna’s bruises sang with hurt, deepened into the darker shades of purple from her landing. She coughed, and inhaled a deep lungful of what smelled like ozone. Her vision trickled back, the shadows returning to her vision and helping to define the scene before her. Her friends were groaning, holding hands over their eyes from the floor. Gerda was already back on her feet, but she looked singed. Maleficent and Elsa were flattened against the ground, throw back half a dozen meters from where they were originally standing, their skin seared. From the remains of the door to the back of the foyer extended a wide, dark scorch mark. Standing in the manor threshold was Hans. 

Anna swore her heart stopped beating. She broke out in a cold sweat, shaking wracking her body up and down. How had he found them? This wasn’t happening. Elsa!

Maleficent coughed, and got to her knees. Of them all, she looked the best off. Before she could collect herself Hans darted forward and was upon her, moving faster than Anna could comprehend. He grabbed one of her horns and jerked her up, knocking her off balance and exposing her neck. She hissed, eyes wild. Hans’ other hand flew through the air, sword held tight, and severed Maleficent’s head from her neck. Thick, dark blood pumped from the wound onto the floor where her body fell with a wet smack. 

As it did, a smoky shadow erupted from Maleficent’s chest without breaking the skin, right over where her heart ought to be. It moved like a crow, fast and nimble through the air. The shadow darted about the room, hung just below the ceiling, and fell towards the ground where Rapunzel lay. It slipped into her seamlessly, entering through her back where she lay prone on the carpet. Jane shrieked. 

“Whew,” Hans said, chuckling to himself. He didn’t seem to pay the shadow any mind. Anna whipped around to see him smiling, her trembling making it hard for her to remain upright. Hans stood, and dropped Maleficent’s head onto the ground. “I was afraid she’d recover too fast.” He turned to Elsa, still sprawled and unmoving. Anna clawed at the ground, opening her mouth and trying to scream at her, warn her. Nothing came out. Hans killed Maleficent as easy as walking through a door. She was a Lord! Lords were supposed to be strong! She wouldn’t let him get Elsa, she wouldn’t!

A gunshot ripped through the air, and Anna bit her tongue. Hans staggered where he stood. He whipped his head towards the stairwell where Gerda had fallen. She was up and training a handgun on his torso, another clip held between her teeth. Bang! Again and again, she fired into him. When the gun clicked empty, Gerda was already reloading with a technical proficiency Anna had never expected of her. Hans coughed and held his chest, blood dripping onto the carpet from the holes in him. He snarled, but didn’t get time to respond before Gerda was filling him with more bullets.

The shots echoed in Anna’s ears. Her eyes were on Elsa, watching the faint rise and fall of her chest with grit teeth. Kristoff crawled over to Anna, and put himself between her and Hans. He looked wild, burning with the fear of an animal being hunter. Jane shook Rapunzel’s shoulders, screaming, but the girl wouldn’t wake. Vanellope was down, too, her body limp against the wall behind them. Anna’s heart pounded like an ocean storm against in skull. Elsa, had to get to Elsa. Elsa was the most hurt.

When Gerda’s second clip emptied, she had to reach under her dress for another. Hans roared, and in the extra second it took Gerda to reload he flicked his hand out. A bolt of lightning arced through the air and slammed into her chest, sending the gun and clip spinning through the air. Gerda flew back, tumbling head over heel into the wall behind the stairs. The handgun and ammunition clattered to the ground just feet away from the still-unconscious Vanellope.

“Goddamnit,” Kristoff said under his breath, his gaze whipping between Gerda and Hans, “goddamnit!” He squeezed Anna’s shoulder so hard it hurt, and threw himself forward; he charged. Kristoff didn’t get ten feet before Hans’ slashed his blade. A jet of blood spurted from Kristoff’s chest where the metal cut into his ribs, and he dropped to the ground.

Anna’s breath hitched, ragged and quick. She was hyperventilating, her eyes blurring with tears. She glanced between her friends, hurt and bleeding. Jane was the only one besides her who was still conscious. The girl sobbed quietly, her head cradled in Rapunzel’s neck. Anna’s heart beat fast enough that she feared it might crack her ribs from within.

Hans flicked Kristoff’s blood from his sword. He kneeled where he stood, looming over Maleficent’s corpse. Anna shook. Was she hallucinating? Was this happening? Her friends couldn’t die.

Her eyes fell on Elsa and suddenly Anna was up and moving, her battered legs carrying her to Elsa’s side. She dropped, knocking her knees into the floor, and shook Elsa’s shoulders. Anna’s tears dropped like rain onto her neck. 

“Elsa, fuck, wake up, wake ‘p, please,” she choked on her words, “y’ have to.”

“You,” Hans said to Anna. She looked at him, her breath leaving her altogether. He was still hunched over Maleficent’s body, his hand resting on her back. His eyes narrowed. “You’re that girl who hit me with the car.”

Anna said nothing. She still couldn’t breath; she looked back at Elsa, eyes flicking over her seared flesh.

“That was pretty good,” said Hans. He hummed to himself, and Anna flinched as a wet, ripping noise echoed through the room. Anna listened to the churning, crunching sound of blood and bone, her eyes on Elsa, her Elsa. When she finally found the courage to look again, she found that Hans had his hand plunged his hand wrist-deep into Maleficent’s back. The pool of blood around her grew, her body spasming as Hans dug through her muscle and organs, searching. 

Anna turned her head and vomited onto the floor. She coughed, hacking up bile long after the initial release. Hans chuckled, but didn’t look up from his work. 

“I suppose I have Elsa to thank for this,” he said to Anna, reaching his hand in deeper, “if she hadn’t told me her name during our last fight, I might never have found you. Turns out, she’s kind of famous around here.” Hans shook his head, laughing at something Anna didn’t pick up on. “Stupid to tell me, I mean, how many young-looking Elsa’s are there with white hair? I recognized her photo immediately, and then it was just a matter of finding her address.” He had both hands in Maleficent now, and pried her ribs apart to make room for them both. “Though to her credit, I suppose she thought she was going to die,” he glanced up at Anna, “until you saved her, I mean.”

Anna gripped Elsa’s shoulders tighter, holding onto her for something resembling balance.

Hans continued monologuing. “I knew if I could piss off Maleficent, she’d go to her regional pawn with the news and order them to hunt me down again.” He was so fucking arrogant, Anna thought. Taking his time, so confident in his victory. She had to find something, anything, to beat that smug look off his face with. Maybe die in the process, but if Elsa would be safe? There had to be something. “All I had to do was make her mad, and then wait outside Elsa’s house for her to arrive,” he glanced at Elsa and Anna, a glimmer in his eye, “one of my better schemes, if I do say so myself.” Hans broke into a wicked grin, his hands slowing, “I’m glad I brought all those demon hearts with me to eat, or my blast might not have been strong enough to stun Maleficent. Might not have been, but I doubt it.” He stopped to crack his neck, sneering, and ripped his hands from Maleficent’s corpse in a geyser of gore and viscera.

In Hans’ bloody palms was Maleficent’s heart. It twitched in his grip. Anna began to sob. She was going to die, right there in her new home. Hans would be stupid not to put them all down. The man sighed in relief, a genuine smile on his lips. He glanced at Anna. Her blood ran cold. Hans chuckled to himself, and buried his teeth into the heart. He ate ravenously. Blood dribbled down his chin and arms to his clothes.

Anna looked away, unwilling to vomit again. When Hans was done, she heard the mirthful cackle erupt from him before she saw it. He laughed to himself. The sound echoed through the foyer, and painted the room with his bloodlust.

Hans staggered to his feet. When Anna looked at him again he appeared changed, but it wasn’t a transformation she could easily describe. The details were the same: his horns, his eyes. Only then there was something new. An energy that hadn’t been there before; a shouldering presence that felt heavy and kinetic like molten lead.

“Oh, it’s wonderful,” he said. Hans lifted his arms out to his sides, his eyes closed. “Maleficent, you weren’t worth of this.” He turned to Anna. She flinched as she saw the cruelty in his dark eyes. “It’s a shame Elsa didn’t want to become one of my knights. If you see her after you die, tell her she deserves an eternity of torture for her refusal.”

Hans walked towards Anna and Elsa, leaving his blade on the ground where he’d been kneeling. It would come soon now. There had to be something Anna could do! Her teeth chattered in her mouth, unable to stay still. What was there? Her eyes were hot and wet, not how she’d wanted to face her own death.

“P-Please,” she said.

Droplets of blood fell from Hans’ fingers as he closed the distance. Anna cradled Elsa’s head in her arms, holding the woman tight against her chest. 

“Els’, I love you. I l’ve you s’ much.” Her words slurred as she tried to speak over her fast breathing. Her face and hands were growing numb. 

Hans smirked, stopping a short distance away. He lifted his hand. Electricity danced between his fingers.

Anna closing her eyes when another shot rang out. Hans staggered, confused. Anna looked up, her mouth dropping open. Vanellope was on her feet, gun in hand, sprinting towards the man and screaming. She unloaded into him. Hans jerked back a step with each shot, grunting in pain.

“Vanellope, don’t!” Anna yelled. Not her too.

When the ammo ran out, Vanellope hurled the gun overhand and beaned Hans in the forehead. “You filth!” he snarled.

Vanellope skidded to a stop in front of Anna and Elsa, blocking Hans from reaching them. Anna reached for her, gripping the back of her hoodie, but she didn’t turn around. 

“I’ll kill you!”

“Try it, chucklefuck!” Vanellope screamed in his face. 

Hans looked worse for wear, another handful of lead pierced into his flesh. He stepped back and lifted his hand again, ready to blow the three of them all to hell, only to shudder as a blade erupted from his chest. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Blood poured down from the wound, soaking his cloaks. His chest was a ruptured mess. From her place on the ground, Anna gaped as she saw Rapunzel shoving Hans’ own sword further into his back. 

He whipped his hand around to hit her, but she dodged low and far out of the way. Rapunzel could fight? No. Something was off. Anna glanced around; Jane was crying, her back against the foyer wall and staring at Rapunzel as if she’d seen a ghost. Anna tried to find Gerda, too, but she’d disappeared from the spot where she’d landed. Had she gone for help? 

Hans howled in rage, and jerked his hand at Vanellope. Anna braced for lightning, but instead a portal opened up beneath her feet, identical to the ones Maleficent had used. She dropped through.

The manor disappeared above Anna as she tumbled down a brilliantly colored flashing passageway. Images of faces screaming in unison swarmed around her. Vanellope fell beside Anna, screaming at the top of her lungs and waving her arms at her sides. Elsa remained in Anna’s arms, still unconscious. Air whipped and tore at Anna’s hair as she fell. Her fingers and face were completely numb from hyperventilating. 

Anna looked up. Arendelle manor was but a speck. She was about to look away when another figure leapt into the portal and began to fall towards them. The rift sealed right after. Hans? Had he come to finish them? Anna’s vision blurred and went starry as she hurtled through the void, fear and dread burning in every cell of her body. The figure caught up to them in freefall, expression stern. It was Rapunzel, but her body language was all wrong. 

The last of Anna’s air left her lungs. She blacked out.


	15. Elsa VI

Elsa heard the waves rolling in hear ears before she ever opened her eyes. They were so calming. She dreamed of the open ocean, and the deep waters dark and murky. She swam, knowing no creature under the waves was a threat to her any longer, no monster too big to battle, no lust too daring. She sat, in her dream, at the bottom of the ocean, and watched as sand swirled around her in the gloom like a spiral. Elsa breathed in the abyss. Her heart found a peace and belonging in those depths that it never felt before, and she waved to the sharks who passed her by in the darkness as if they were old friends.

Elsa woke to the sound of the sea. It lulled her, like a mother would a child, from the depths of unconsciousness. She groaned, blinking her eyes open. The repetitive noise of the waves set her heart at peace from a great stressor, something she didn’t quite remember. Friends, her love, an old mentor. A flash of light, and then nothing. Her skull thrummed in her head, and Elsa closed her eyes tight and held them there before opening them again to look around.

She was lying in fine, white sand. The grains of it clung to her skin, and she was soaked as if she’d washed up from the sea and been beached like a whale not minutes before her awakening. Elsa looked at the sand, ran her claws through it. It gave easily. Where was she? Darkness blanketed the land about her, and the only light appeared to be a red glow. She stumbled to her feet, every muscle in her legs as sore as wrought iron. Elsa’s tail wagged behind her.

She found herself in a place she’d never been before, but there was something about it that Elsa felt like she knew intimately, as if drawn from a memory long past. It was night, but the sky shone with no moon, and instead a hundred million stars glittered far above. Elsa frowned. They’re didn’t resemble any star formations she knew.

Elsa stood on a small stretch of beach facing inland, and when she turned to look out at the sea she saw that, unlike the Sound she grew up by, the water glowed a deep red. It was clearer than any ocean she’d know before, the bottom of it visible even forty feet out. Elsa knelt and tasted it, but it didn’t seem out of the ordinary save the color. The strange water shone like crystal all the way out to the horizon line, and lit up the beach and surrounding areas in a light pink hue. 

Great, gothic cathedrals of stone and wood littered the shore, some half sunken underwater and nearly buried in sand. Most were destroyed, the wood covered in barnacles from the tides, but Elsa could see a few further up that had maintained most of their structure. The buildings speared the black sky like knives, and forced Elsa to crane her head to see some of the tops. Nestled upon the tower peaks, no matter the height of the individual building in question, were huge, glass containers of seawater. They glowed the same red as the ocean, and lit the streets of what Elsa realized was a town halfway overtaken by the sea. The lanterns of shining ocean water led off into the distance, and Elsa could see between them a large fountain and even more derelict buildings of the same gothic style as the ones around her.

The sight unnerved her, and Elsa felt an acute dread bubbling within her as the tendrils of sleep shrugged further from her mind. Staring out on the water, she felt her legs begin to give was underneath the weight of her body. The ocean was compelling somehow, like it wanted to draw her back down into its abyss and hold onto her protectively. She took a step towards it, but only just. Elsa felt a headache coming on.

She groaned, and raised a hand to her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut. Her skin was burned, and felt rough under her touch. Elsa found the rest of her body in a similar state. Her black dress was nearly a rag, just barely clinging to her and smelling horribly of salt. How long had she been in the water?

She ached, and her stomach growled with discontent. Elsa opened her eyes, turning back inland and away from the strange ocean. She shook her head. Her memories were a mess, coming back in flashes. She remembered screaming. Activity. She’d been blindsided, attacked. Anna had been there. 

Elsa flinched. Anna! Had she come through to this strange world with her? Was she in danger? Elsa looked around, but didn’t see anyone else. She was alone, with the only sound being the waves sliding up against the shore. No, there had to be someone. Elsa reached out with her sixth sense for the human auras she knew would be there, but stopped cold.

The infinite swathes of life were gone. On any given day Elsa could tune into her sense and feel the auras of the thousands of humans around her, walking and eating and fucking their way through their everyday lives. But now, there was nothing. At least, almost nothing. She felt just three people, small and spread out ahead of her on the path between the buildings. The closest was by the fountain she’d seen through the cracks in the structures. Could one of them be Anna?

Elsa shook, and bit her lip. For so much of her life she’d hidden herself away, afraid of what her strength and instincts could do to the people she loved. But, whenever she’d felt alone, all she had to do was tune into herself and feel the people swirling around her, surrounding small, alone little Elsa with the closest thing she’d ever felt to belonging. A life among thousands, tens of thousands, swimming in the sea like a fish. 

Now she felt only darkness, and the vast, infinite sky opening up above her like she was falling forever upwards into it. It send chills of fear down her spine. For the first time in ages, Elsa felt the basic, primal impulse to see another person in the flesh. Anyone. Someone to talk to, to validate her existence amidst the void.

Ignoring the strain in her muscles, Elsa trudged off the beach, and ventured between the buildings with their high glowing containers of seawater. The air was mild, and only the barest hint of a breeze blew off the ocean.

The sand of the beach gave way to cobblestone streets. The road felt worn under the pads of her toes, but there was no evidence anyone or anything had walked it in some time. It was hard for Elsa to tell the color of anything, for the red light of the suspended ocean water was the only illumination to see by. Everything unlit sank into pitch, shadowy darkness.

Elsa found the fountain. It sat in the center of an old town square and was framed by more derelict buildings of the same dramatic, gothic styling. Some of them appeared to be houses or shops, long since abandoned. The fountain still flowed, and more of the same glowing red ocean water spilled from the mouth of a massive crow statue. 

Elsa felt again for the aura she’d sensed, and by its guidance spotted a figure sitting on the rim of the fountain, their legs swaying in the water. They were human. Elsa closed the distance, and as she did was surprised to find none other than Rapunzel, one of Anna’s friends, only she was completely naked. Behind her, Elsa noticed the tattered shreds of what looked like had once been a blouse and jeans. Elsa hadn’t expected her. She seemed different, somehow, in the way she moved, and there was a graveness in her expression: all hard, tight lines above a scowling mouth. Elsa realized belatedly that this Rapunzel could easily be a trap set by another demon, but there was nothing else she could do. She swallowed air; the salt of the glowing sea was thick in the air.

“Hello?” She asked. 

“Arendelle,” Rapunzel said, “I was wondering when you’d find me.” Her eyes were fixed on the water, entranced by the ripples radiating out from her feet. 

Elsa furrowed her brow, and was taken aback. Arendelle? “I’m glad you’re okay, uh, Rapunzel. What happened? Where’s Anna?”

Rapunzel snorted, and broke her gaze from the water. Elsa sucked in breath as their eyes met. There was a darkness in her irises now, a venom and power she’d only ever seen in one person.

Elsa stepped forward, her voice shaky and tentative. “Maleficent?” She asked.

Rapunzel tisked, and smirked before returning her gaze to the fountain. She splashed her feet, disrupting the gentle echoing circles. “Now you’re getting it,” she said, sighing.

Elsa struggled to find words. “I, what, what happened?”

“Hans killed me, and the failsafe spell I had cast kicked in. My consciousness was ejected from my body before I was gone and I found a new host.” Rapunzel, no, Maleficent, rocked her head on her new shoulders. Raleficent? Malefizel? “And then Hans ripped out my old heart, so I stabbed him in the back with his own sword, and now we’re here.” She smiled, but there was no humor in it.

Elsa grit her teeth, panic flooding her veins. Hans. Of course it had been Hans. The attack, the visions of pain. “Where’s Anna?”

“Couldn’t say.”

Of course not. Maleficent wasn’t one to care much about others. Elsa still had her lead to follow, and the auras she sensed didn’t appear to have been hurt or moved. She had time. “Did you get Hans?” Elsa opened her mouth to speak, but paused before words came out again. “What happened to Rapunzel’s consciousness, is she in there with you?” Was Anna’s friend going to be okay?

Malefizel grimaced. “No, I did not deal a fatal blow to Westerguard.” The words seemed to pain her as she said them. “As for Anna’s friend, if you must know, I can feel her in here with me. She’s like a warm presence, unconscious of her situation but still influencing me by her very proximity.” She snarled. Malefizel looked down on her new body like its mere existence was heresy to her own, She dragged her fingers over her exposed skin, digging long scratches into the soft flesh. “It was a less than ideal way to stay alive, but nonetheless here I am.” 

Maleficent had body jacking spells. On the long list of things she did that were questionably ethical, that wasn’t even near the top. “Is that a Lord thing, or can normal demons do it too?”

Malefizel scoffed, and turned to glare at Elsa. Her long, blond hair was tangled and strewn across the cobblestone behind her in a mess. “As if anyone but a Lord could perform something so authentically impressive.” 

Elsa frowned. “Are you sure Rapunzel’s still in there? She wasn’t nearly so arrogant.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about that. The girl has a,” Malefizel sneered, and cocked her head at Elsa, “a curious mania about her. Masked pain, vulnerabilities, and yes, a little smug superiority.” 

Elsa stepped forward, worry in her brow. “You can’t like, read her mind, can you?”

“No, but I feel her unconscious soul. It’s very afraid, like a flickering orb of anxious fire nestled behind my heart.” She smiled, and Elsa swore there was something akin to affection in the expression. Elsa sighed, her fear somewhat held at bay. As long as Rapunzel was alive. She could figure out the finer details of disentangling her mentor and her charge’s friend at a later time. 

“Where are we? Is Hans still around?” Elsa’s pulse was still pounding in her wrists. Identify the threats. Rapunzel’s appearance made her almost certain the other two auras were people she knew, she just hoped one of them was Anna. She’d deal with Hans if she had to, he would be weak from the stab wound Malefizel had mentioned.

“I thought you’d have figured that by now, ducking.” Malefizel sneered. 

Elsa growled in reply, eyes wide. “Just tell me.”

“This is the Underworld, Arendelle, and Hans sent us here after eating the heart out of my body and taking my Lord magic for his own.”

Elsa staggered, the wind sucked from her lungs. Of course. No wonder the place felt familiar. She thought she’d never see the home of her ancestor with her own eyes, but here it was in all its dark, eerie glory. No wonder demons were soon keen on escaping into other realms. “He what?”

Malefizel smiled, baring her white teeth. “You heard it here first, Arendelle, I’m no longer a demon Lord!” She ground her nails into the concrete of the fountainside, the corner of her mouth twitching. Before Elsa could compose herself, Malefizel raised a hand and slammed her fist down against the rock, and Elsa heard a wet snap. She snickered, her breath coming short as sweat formed on her forehead, and lifted her mangled hand into the light of the red water for Elsa to see. Several of her fingers were bent in ways fingers should not be bent. “In fact,” said Malefizel, “I’m not even a demon anymore. I jumped into a human body! No more strength, no more magic, only weakness.”

She burst out cackling. It was a shrill sound, and Elsa wasn’t sure Rapunzel’s vocal cords had ever made it before. Malefizel shook, her eyes wide and a snarling, feral grin on her lips. She looked unhinged and broken in a way Elsa wasn’t used to from her mentor. She was alive, sure, but her entire identity was shattered, her body and mind no longer truly her own. It occurred to Elsa that she didn’t actually know whether Maleficent had ever been human before. 

Demons could be born, just like humans. However, to become a Lord, someone who watched over a realm and prevented incursions, a demon had to find and kill an already living Lord and eat their heart. Lords could create portals between the Underworld and their guarded world only, and to no other realms, but had access to magic and power far beyond that of ordinary demons. Maleficent had been the watcher of Earth, and traveled through portals between there and the Underworld to perform her duties. The only one she answered to was the Queen, who ruled all demons, and could create portals between any realms she chose. It was the Queen’s original desire to keep the Underworld and its often violent residents contained, and so she created the Lords to help carry out her will and protect the many realms from her own ilk. Maleficent had worked alongside her for centuries, but now she was fragile, breakable. She had no portals, no magic, for both were stolen by Hans.

“He bested us, Arendelle,” Malefizel said, “he set a trap for me and I took the bait.” She slapped her broken hand against stone, and this time it came back bloody. Elsa stepped in and reached for the hand to stop Maleficent from destroying Rapunzel’s body, but was met with a furious glare that stopped her in her tracks. “I’m going to murder him, Elsa.” Malefizel’s eyes were wide, the edges of them burning bright red. “I will find him and make him suffer a pain he could never comprehend. He will beg for death for decades to come.” 

Elsa trembled. She clenched her fists at her sides, ready at a moment’s notice to flee from  
The scene. She liked Maleficent, she really did, but this side of her scared her to the bone. Sweat dripped off her nose. 

When Elsa spoke, her voice shook. “I-It’ll be okay,” she said, “we’ll find him.” 

“Don’t you dare try to comfort me, Arendelle!” Malefizel snarled, her human teeth bared in anger, “are you with me or not?”

Even in her fear, Elsa understood that Malefizel was her best chance to get back to Earth and minimize the damage Hans was no doubt doing. Besides, she’d never been to this dark land before. All she knew came from legends and oral history, stories her mother used to tell her in bed. “Of course,” she said, “but I’m doing it for Earth, and Anna, not your crusade.”

Malefizel nodded. “Very well.” She slid from her seat on the fountain’s edge and stood up to her full height, her back rod straight. She was, much to Elsa’s amusement, a full head and change shorter than her now. Malefizel began pacing, eyes narrowed in thought. “We need to find another Lord who can portal us to the Queen’s castle. I need to give my report, and Hans will no doubt make a move against her.”

Elsa raised an eyebrow. “And, what, we just fight him?”

“Well, yes, but first I need to become a demon.” Malefizel grinned at her, her mania returned, “I’m going to eat his heart, Arendelle. I’m getting my magic back. Not to mention, without me there’s no Lord watching over Earth.” She scoffed. “I doubt Hans actually wanted the job when he ate my heart, so we have to move fast to stop him before the Earth burns. Don’t let it ever be said that I don’t care about my work.”

Elsa frowned. “You want to become a Lord again in that body?”

“It’s my body.” Malefizel glared at her, daring her to argue further.

It wasn’t her body, though. She was living on borrowed time, and they both knew it. It wasn’t Maleficent’s right to choose whether Rapunzel became a demon. Elsa sighed. “We’ll have this fight later,” she said, “I need to go find the two other human auras I can sense.” The lives hadn’t moved since Elsa began speaking with Maleficent, nor had there been any change in their energy levels. No threats. They were probably still unconscious, just like she had been.

Malefizel raised her eyebrows. “Oh, you mean Anna and the foul, annoying one? They fell through the portal with us and, oh, god, Arendelle, keep your delight at least somewhat subdued.”

Elsa couldn’t help it. Anna was nearby after all! She beamed, a smile of relief breaking over her face. “I’m going to go get them, do you want to come?” 

“And be complicit in enabling your heartfelt affections?” Malefizel turned back towards the fountain. “I’ll be here when you’re done. Be quick.”

Elsa took off, despite finding Maleficent’s authority harder to take seriously now that she’d changed so much. She ran through the streets, some areas just barely lit by the red ocean water suspended on the buildings. Even with her night vision it was hard to make out where homes and chapels began and ended. She closed in on the first aura without issue. Vanellope was hanging from the rafters of a single story home with a large broken clock set into the frame above the door. She hung over an empty bed, and there was no sign of anyone who might have once lived there. 

Elsa helped the girl down and carried her unconscious form back out into the street. She checked Vanellope’s pulse, and after confirming she was still alive, began jogging back towards the fountain. Malefizel was washing herself in the glowing red water. Elsa set Vanellope down on the edge of the fountain, and looked at her former mentor with stern eyes.

“Be nice,” she said. Malefizel shrugged, but didn’t give Vanellope a second look. 

Elsa dashed off in the other direction, and passed through an area that didn’t appear as damaged as the rest of the town. It looked like a merchant district, and some wooden signs still hung above doors advertising food and services. At the end of the long road stood a single cathedral, higher than the others Elsa had seen and in almost pristine condition. Long, stretching flying buttresses connected an inner building to outer walls like a fortress. At the top, as Elsa had come to expect, sat a glass sphere full of the glowing red water. According to her sixth sense, Anna was inside and unharmed. She approached, taking her steps slowly. The road widened as it approached the church, almost like a courtyard, and was surrounded on both sides with empty iron planters.

Elsa pushed open the heavy wooden door, and was met with more glowing red. At the far end of the church where the pulpit would normally stand was a low stage flanked on either side by two tall, narrow glass containers holding water. Between them and at the center of the stage rested an old, warn, and well-loved leather couch. Elsa’s breath caught in her throat as she spied it. A thin creature sat on the middle of the sofa, and cradled Anna in its lap.

The demon appeared feminine, with long red hair and wide eyes. In the glow of the water, Elsa swore she could see stitch marks running up and down their flesh, hold their body together like it were made of fabric. They wore a rough, torn up dress that could have been sewn from a burlap sack. The demon stroked Anna’s hair, and made low, skittering noises that emanated from the general area of their head. The sound reminded Elsa of hundreds of crickets all running at once. The demon drew a long, narrow finger over Anna’s cheek, holding her to their chest like a child might hold a doll.

Elsa walked forward, running through her usual parade of pre-battle pick me ups. She hadn’t been able to sense the demon, which was fine; she’d never quite figured out how to do it even with Maleficent’s goading. She was lost in a world of monsters she couldn’t sense, and for once there were more of them than humans. But that was broad. Elsa, in that moment, went small.

Rescue Anna. Get back to Malefizel. Her steps creaked on the wooden floorboards. The demon looked up at her with wide, glowing white eyes that seemed far too big for the size of their head. They completely lacked pupils.

Elsa, adrenaline in her blood, charged at the demon with teeth bared. The demon set Anna laid Anna down on the couch like she were made of fine china, and leapt into the air. They came down hard, slamming into the wooden floor just inches from where Elsa had just been. Splinters flew around them. They were utterly silent, not a sound leaving their body save the scrape and drag of their feet and hands on stone. It was unnerving; Elsa was used to her foes bragging fast enough to make Vanellope blush.

She froze the end of her tail and whipped it at the creature like a flail, catching them across the neck and shearing through flesh. Elsa leapt back, and regained her balance. What poured from the demon’s wound, however, wasn’t blood. Opaque, black pus spilled out, and Elsa noticed after a moment that it was wriggling thick with small worms. A shiver ran up her spine. 

The demon lunged again, swiping violently and barely missing Elsa’s arms and legs. She dropped to the ground, ice surrounding her left hand, and sliced through the creature’s legs. They toppled to the floor and writhed, but still no sound came out. More of the pus oozed from their leg stumps, and dozens of long, thin worms crawled out onto the ground. Elsa balked in disgust, raising a hand over her mouth. She watched as the worms grabbed the severed legs and pulled them taught against the stumps again. The neck wound, Elsa realized, had also healed.

The demon stood and opened its mouth. Flailing worms erupted from the opening and shot out towards Elsa like a geyser of sewage water. She threw herself down, evading the strike by millimeters. The writhing mass sucked back into the demon’s body, gone as soon as it came. Elsa leapt to her feet. She could see jerking movement under the demon’s dress, harsh and fluid as if something were squirming inside their ribcage.

She swallowed, wary. The demon healed. They weren’t normal, or as normal as demons got. Could even be a hive mind, or a parasite. It was strange, but Elsa took comfort in some often remembered basic knowledge Maleficent that provided her with years ago, back when she was just starting to teach a younger, more fearful Elsa to fight. No matter what a demon looks like on the outside, they’re more or less composed the same way a human is on the inside.

She narrowed her eyes. The creature flung itself forward, spinning its limbs and razor-like claws in a whirl as it closed the distance between them. Elsa lifted a pew with her leg and kicked it into the demon, staggering them where they stood. Elsa sprinted, dove past the still-flailing limbs, and kicked the demon to the floor, landing in a crouch above their torso. The demon’s mouth opened and the dark mass of worms sprayed out once more, grazing the side of Elsa’s face as she sank her hand into the creature’s torso and wrapped her fingers around their heart. She hissed at the contact, and stomped down on their stomach before ripping the organ from the demon’s chest.

It was a heart not unlike one that a run-of-the-mill human might have. It beat softly in Elsa’s grip. The demon opened its mouth to scream, but all that came out was a loud shuddering. A mass of worms clung to Elsa’s hand where she’d pulled out the heart, biting digging their way under her skin, only to go limp and fall to the ground when the body below her finally stilled. 

Elsa touched her face where she’d been grazed and found a shallow wound, but thankfully no remnants of the demon were still latched onto her. She caught her breath, letting her hands shake the remaining fear out. That wasn’t the most fucked up demon she’d every fought, but it was up there. Bugs. Had to be bugs. 

Elsa felt the last few thumps of the demon’s heart reverberate through her hand before it, too, went still. Clenching the organ in her hand, she leapt up onto the stage. Anna laid peacefully over the couch, her hands crossed over her chest. She looked fine, just a few bangs and bruises, most of which Elsa herself had probably given her the previous night.

Elsa checked her pulse, and smiled when she felt Anna’s steady heartbeat. As long as Anna was okay, everything would be okay. Underworld or no Underworld. They’d figure it out. She hoisted the girl in her arms and, careful not to get heart blood on her, carried her bridal style out of the church.

Elsa weaved her way back through the market, hyperaware of any noises or perceived movement. Couldn’t have another attack, not then. Anna needed to be safe first. She’d been stupid to think she was alone, even if, in a sense, she was. Walking through the Underworld made her painfully aware of her human side, just as walking the streets of Seattle had made her aware of her demon side. Elsa glanced at the heart in her hand, and the girl cradled in her arms. She’d wanted Anna to have a choice. Here, in this place? Elsa’s hand was still covered in little holes from where the worms had tried to eat into her skin. Anna might not have that choice anymore, and for that Elsa’s hatred for Hans burned brighter than it ever had.

When she found the fountain, Malefizel’s hair was shorn off and floating in the glowing waters. A knife glimmered in her hand. Vanellope sat on the edge of the water, very much awake, her eyes downcast and staring at the cobble ground. Malefizel waved the blade in the air, a final lock of long hair gone, and set it down by Vanellope. What remained of Rapunzel’s old hair was a short, spiky cut that stuck out in every which direction. It looked pink by the glow of the fountain. 

“There,” Malefizel said after returning Vanellope’s knife, “much better. Don’t you think so, runt child?”

Vanellope grunted, her eyes not leaving the cobblestone. 

Malefizel dove under the water, and rose back up like a swan taking flight. She shook out her new hair, making sure some of the droplets hit Vanellope in the back. 

Elsa walked into the light, Anna in her arms. She carried the demon heart in her teeth, loath as she was to do so, but she hadn’t another place to keep it. Vanellope perked up. Her eyes went wide, and she leapt from the fountain and sprinted towards Anna and Elsa.

“Oh god, Anna! Is she okay? Elsa, please tell me she’s okay!” Vanellope hovered over Anna, and felt for her pulse much the same as Elsa had.

Elsa made a gurgling sound, unable to speak with the bloody heart in her teeth. Vanellope looked up at her and bounced a foot back in shock. 

“Holy hell, yeah, okay,” she rubbed the back of her neck, a grimace on her face, “why don’t you just, uh, set all this down and then try to talk.”

Elsa rolled her eyes. She made her way to the fountain and laid Anna down on the rim, spitting onto the cobble as she took the heart from her mouth. “Disgusting,” she muttered. 

Malefizel perked up. “Oh, what’s this?” she said, striding through the water and lifting the heart up to her face. “Kill your first Underworld demon while you were gone?”

“Yeah. A weird one, too. Got Anna, though.” 

“Very good.” 

“Metal,” said Vanellope, but she wasn’t looking at them. The girl dipped her hand into the fountain and splashed water onto Anna’s face. After a moment she stirred, scrunching up her nose. Elsa sat down just above where she lay, and drew Anna up by her shoulders so her head was resting in her lap instead of on the cold stone. Anna blinked her eyes open, grogginess in the lines of her face. Elsa smiled, and all the love she could feel radiated from her heart. She hoped Anna could see it. Her Anna.

“Wha?” Anna said.

Vanellope fell upon her, pulling Anna into a tight hug. Muffled though it was by Anna’s clothes, Elsa could hear her quietly sobbing. “You’re okay,” she said, “you’re okay.”

“Whoa, so are you!” Elsa could see the gears in Anna’s head catching her up to the current time. The girl draped her arms around Vanellope, and pulled her in closer. She shut her eyes for a moment, the corners wet. “I thought we were all dead.” Then she looked up at Elsa, and smiled. Her head swayed in her guardian’s lap, the exhaustion evident in her eyes. “We’re alive.”

Elsa nodded, and reached down to stroke the girl’s face. “We’re alive,” she repeated.

“What happened?”

“A lot,” Malefizel said. She stepped forward and loomed over Anna, “will you become a demon now? We need to kill Hans.”

Anna squeaked, and her eyes bugged at the sight of the person she believed to still be Rapunzel. Elsa sighed, and tangled her hand protectively in Anna’s hair. She met Malefizel’s crooked gaze. They had a lot of explaining to do.


	16. Anna XI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear when I set out to write this story I did not (and still do not want) to write edgy grimdark Disney
> 
> and yet

The red glow of the ocean water spheres pooled through the partially broken window of the church tower. It was the only source of light inside. Vanellope and Malefizel hid on either side of the windowsill, chancing glances through the broken panes to survey the crimson-hued town below. Anna sat at the back of the small attic, nestled in a dusty rotted chair. She’d placed herself atop a trap door, which was the only way in or out of the tower. She squeezed Elsa’s fingers in her left hand, very aware of the woman’s worried gaze. In her right hand, Anna clutched the heart of the demon that found her before Elsa did.

“Find them!” a shrill voice said from outside the window. Anna flinched as it echoed off the high buildings. There was a cruelty to the sound that set her neck hair on end, and reminded her of some of the foster parents she’d lived with once.

“We’ve searched the town, there’s no sign of bodies!” said another voice, smaller and more fragile than the first. Vanellope glanced out the window, looking for just a moment before darting back in. Anna shook to her bones. How long did they even have?

“Then they’re still alive. Go, you fools!” said the first voice again. A cacophony of murmurs hung in the air below the chapel tower, then faded as the voices spread out. How many of them were there? Anna squeezed down on Elsa’s hand. 

“I must admit,” Malefizel said through her clenched jaw, “Hans’ methods are good. I didn’t think he’d bother to check for our bodies, arrogant as he is.”

“God, don’t compliment him,” said Vanellope. She jerked her thumb towards the window, but didn’t chance another look outside. “You know these plebs?”

Malefizel growled. “The woman in charge is Ursula, and it looks like she’s brought her entire army of undersea blasphemies with her. I wouldn’t have taken her for the sort to thrown in with Westerguard.”

Vanellope frowned. “She strong?”

“Undeniably.”

“Figures.” 

Anna trembled, glancing at the cold, heavy flesh in her grip. She’d made her choice already, but in the heat of the moment her nerves were failing her. Could she really go through with eating it? Anna opened her mouth and raised the organ an inch closer to her teeth, only to shudder and snap her jaw shut before taking the final plunge.

“If you could make haste, it would be appreciated!” Malefizel hissed at Anna from the window, her eyes narrowed. She held her bandaged, broken left arm to her chest, and wore a faded pink dress with a lavender bodice. Malefizel looked like she was going to a renaissance fair; the abandoned houses around the fountain lacked any clothing that looked even remotely recent, and none of it whatsoever that was clean.

Vanellope was the one who’d set Malefizel’s arm, and provided a mountain of verbal shit for Malefizel to process as she did so. Damn Maleficent, Anna thought. Rage boiled in her stomach as the memory of the woman looming over her and dangling Punzie’s broken hand in her face came flooding back to her. It wasn’t right. Anna’s heart thudded in her chest. She wasn’t in a situation where she could be picky about allies, and she despised the fact.

Elsa growled at Malefizel, and squeezed Anna’s hand. “Don’t rush her!” she said, teeth bared. Elsa wore an old, blue ball gown that had looked fit for a gala until Elsa tore off all the fabric below her knees so she could move better. It was a surprisingly decent fit, given her inhuman size. In any other context, Anna might have liked to seen her take it off for her.

Malefizel scowled, and returned to chancing look at the town square. Anna glanced at Elsa, worrying her lip with her teeth. Elsa, bless her, smiled for her.

If it’s too much, I’m sure we can figure something else out,” she said.

“I disagree,” said Malefizel, “unless you want Ursula to kill us all.” She smirked. “Or, maybe you’ve reconsidered and will let me eat the heart myself?” Anna’s grip tightened on Elsa’s hand. That’s not your body, she thought, you don’t get that choice.

“Nuh-uh,” Vanellope said to Malefizel, eyebrows knitted together, “been over this, so don’t try your luck, sweetheart.”

Maleficent snarled, jerking forward. For a second, Anna thought she might throttle the girl. “How are you always so insolent?”

“Are you just now noticing? Glad you’re paying attention.” 

Malefizel pointed at Vanellope with her unbroken hand, “You’re lucky it would be a waste to kill you, or else you’d be a smear by now.”

Vanellope raised her hand over her heart in mock terror. “A smear, you say? In Punzie’s gangly-ass bod? Nah, don’t think so.” Malefizel fumed.

Elsa sighed, “Vanellope, sweetie, please don’t antagonize her.”

“Hey, I think she’s due a little shit.” Vanellope clicked her tongue. “Maybe even a lot of shit.”

“Here, here to that,” Anna said from across the room, glaring at Malefizel.

She could hear her the bodyjacker grinding her teeth from across the room. “Elsa,” Anna said, looking at the heart in her hand, “is it going to taste bad?”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” said Malefizel.

Elsa and Anna ignored her. “Yeah, it’s gonna be pretty gross,” she said, “but it’ll be fast, and I’ll be here with you the whole time.” Elsa stood beside her like a sentinel, an ever present guardian.

Anna squeezed her hand, and smiled. “I love you,” she said.

Elsa glanced away, blushing, but met Anna’s eyes again a few seconds later. “I love you, too.” Anna knew that she meant it. They both meant it. If they made it out alive, they might even get the chance to act on it.

Anna wished she had more time to make her decision. To process. She wanted to become a demon, she wanted to join Elsa’s world, but she wished it didn’t have to be under such circumstances. She’d imagined it happening on a warm couch back in the manor, with Elsa holding her the whole time. Safe.

Anna regained consciousness after falling through Hans’ portal with her head in Elsa’s lap, the woman’s beautiful, loving smile being the first thing saw. They were surrounded by s a dark, broken world awash in red hues. She’d been so relieved to still be alive, so relieved Elsa and Vanellope were alive, that it’d taken a moment for the gravity of the situation to hit her. It collapsed onto her heart like a building coming down, imploding from the middle out.

Anna’s heart was a vortex. She whirled around, checking to make sure Elsa and Vanellope were still there with her, that she wasn’t alone in some dark nightmare. When she saw Rapunzel, she stopped. It wasn’t her friend looking back at her from behind those eyes. Maleficent began to explain, her authoritative words spilling from Rapunzel’s mouth, and Anna nearly decked her in the face before she realized how stupid that would be. She saw Malefizel’s mangled hand, and her mouth clenched in fury.

“How could you!” Anna yelled at Malefizel, and quieted when she realized everyone had flinched at her volume. They were lost in a shadow world, and Elsa had to kill a demon to even get to her. Anna lowered her voice, looking around for anything that might have heard. “That’s not your body,” she said, “get out!”

“If you’ll let me finish,” Malefizel said, “I can tell you why that won’t happen.” She was standing naked in the fountain, arms crossed, “and I really don’t like the tone you’re taking with me, young Miss Arendelle.” It was Rapunzel’s body, but she spoke and stood like Maleficent. It creeped Anna the fuck out.

“Fuck your tone! Give Rapunzel her body back, now!” She did her best to convey her rage with whispers, but knew she was failing.

“She’s still alive, if that helps you come to peace with the scenario.”

“All the more reason for you to take a fucking hike!”

Elsa stepped in, and laid a hand on Anna’s shoulder. Anna looked up, eyes swimming with tears. She was shaking, the darkness of the new, hostile world she found herself in closing around her. “Anna,” her foster mother said in a low, pained voice, “we need her. She’s a bitch, but let her explain.”

And Anna learned. Vanellope sat in her lap and the two girls held each other close as Elsa and Malefizel told them a story of demons, of Lords, and of portals. Of Hans. Anna nestled her head in Vanellope’s neck when the fight in the manor came up. Kristoff, Jane, Gerda. They couldn’t be dead. But, she’d seen Hans cut down two of them, and, oh, Jane. 

“Elsa,” Anna said, crying quietly against Vanellope, “do you think they could still be alive?”

It took Elsa a moment to respond. “I really hope so,” she said. Her tail whipped behind her, just as anxious as she was.

“It’s not likely, I’m afraid,” said Malefizel.

“Hey, fuck off?” Vanellope spat at her, tightening her hold on Anna’s shoulders. “I know you don’t, like, get empathy as a concept, so? Shut up?”

Had Anna not been a war of fire and emotion, she might have laughed at that. Vanellope always made her laugh. At least she hadn’t lost her, too. It pained Anna to admit it, but if she had to lose people, she was glad it hadn’t been Vanellope or Elsa.

She hated herself for thinking that. They were all so precious, and Anna knew their lives weren’t worth any more than another, but she saw what her heart was doing, trying to compartmentalize, put things in tiers. It wouldn’t hurt as much to lose her friends if she convinced herself that she didn’t actually like them as much as she did. Just like she’d done with her first foster family, with her first friends. She didn’t need them, of course she didn’t. The more she did to convince herself of that, the less it hurt.

But this wasn’t like that. She didn’t want to love them less, but her heart was already working its horrible magic. “W-we don’t know for sure that they’re dead,” Anna said. 

“That’s true,” said Elsa, She stood beside Anna, squeezing her shoulder, “we don’t know.”

“If that’s what you need to tell yourself to function, so be it,” said Malefizel. Anna sniffled, but before Vanellope or Elsa could fire off a string of cutting explicative at the woman, Malefizel kept speaking. “I mean, technically you’re in the right. We don’t know.” Anna looked up, and saw Malefizel shuffling from foot to foot. “They could be alive.” Was she trying to reassure her? Take back her words?

Vanellope didn’t say anything. Elsa watched Malefizel, mouth open. “Y-yeah, so we can’t give up on them,” said Anna.

“And we won’t,” Elsa added.

“We need to be moving,” said Malefizel, “without my portals I lack the intuitive sense of place I once had, but I believe we’re not terribly far south of the deep wood where the Lord Gothel lives. If we find her, she can warp us to the Queen, and from there we can deal with Hans and prevent any further damage to your world.”

“The Queen who made the powers and stuff?” Vanellope asked.

“Yes.”

“What, you can’t just call her like you called Elsa before?”

Malefizel grit her teeth, but didn’t bother responding. Without her Lord heart she couldn’t use that kind of magic anymore? It wasn’t like there were any cell towers around that they could use, much less computers with a good internet connection. From the way Malefizel talked about the Underworld, it didn’t seem to Anna like they had access to recent technologies at all.

“If we’re to succeed,” Malefizel said as she looked between Vanellope and Anna, catching their gazes, “we need to become demons, lest we all die in our first violent encounter.” Anna felt her breath leave her body. She should have seen that coming, but she’d been distracted by everything else. They were going to have to fight their way out of the Underworld, more than likely. And she couldn’t do that while human. 

“Makes sense,” Vanellope said, “except, not you. Just us.”

Malefizel pinched her nose. “If will increase our chances of survival if we are all turned.”

“That’s not your body,” said Anna, “you don’t get to decide for Rapunzel.” She should know what she would be giving up. How could she do that while unconscious in the back of her own hijacked brain? 

“And when we are attacked, Rapunzel will die when I do.” Malefizel shook her head, “if you want to keep Rapunzel alive, how does keeping her human make any sense?” It didn’t. Anna knew it didn’t, not from a basic survival perspective. But she couldn’t do that to her friend.

But if Anna became a demon, maybe Malefizel wouldn’t have to. Her heart skipped a beat as the realization dawned on her. She could protect her. Vanellope could too, and that would only leave one squishy human without a healing factor and super strength.

“What if we protected you?” Anna said, meeting Malefizel’s gaze. She could protect Rapunzel, protect them all. She didn’t have to lose more friends. The woman studied her, her eyes narrowing. “I’ll turn, and, uh, well maybe,” she glanced at Vanellope. 

Her friend smirked. “What, you think I’m gonna miss out on demon powers? I’ll turn too.” Anna hugged her. Bless her soul for keeping things at least somewhat light. Anna needed that. She’d need to talk to her later, make sure she was still holding up okay. She didn’t want to ask V to open up in front of Malefizel. 

“Are you sure?” Elsa asked. Anna nodded to her. Elsa was fidgeting, deep concern written into her face like chalk.

Anna did her best to smile. Her chest hurt. Her heart hurt. She swore she’d hold hard and fast to the people she still had. Elsa. Vanellope. “I’m sure.”

Elsa nodded, but the worry remained. 

“It would be better if you let me turn,” Maleficent said to them, “please reconsider.” She didn’t look any less imposing to Anna while she was standing naked in a fountain. Maybe it was the red glow? 

Vanellope snorted, and gave Malefizel the finger. 

“How about this,” Elsa said as she stepped forward and captured their attention, “we, uh,” she glanced at Anna, and Anna saw that her hands were shaking as she wrung them against her chest, “Anna and Vanellope turn, and then we keep another demon heart on hand in case Malefizel needs to turn in a life or death scenario. Otherwise, she stays human.”

The group went silent, and Anna could hear the soft lapping of red waves against the shore in the distance. Finally, Malefizel nodded, a foul grimace spreading over her lips. “Very well,” she said, the words coming out more like a grunt. She cocked an eyebrow at Elsa. “Malefizel?” 

“Oh!” Elsa blushed. “Sorry, I’ve been calling you that in my head. Maleficent, Rapunzel. Malefizel.”

“That’s idiotic.”

“I dunno,” said Vanellope, “I kinda like it. Sounds like a ship name.”

“I suppose,” Elsa glanced at Anna, “but I thought it was weird to ship people you know?”

“Not on my side of the internet, sister.”

“Why, pray tell, are you talking about shipping?” said Malefizel, “parcel delivery is not the priority right now!” 

For the first time since she’d woken up, Anna made a sound that could have been laughter. She was so, so tired. Malefizel agreed to their terms, thankfully, but they were still in a precarious situation. Anna looked up at the massive glass spheres adorning the rooftops of many of the large buildings. Why did everything look so old? Did demons build the towers? Outside of what she’d heard about the Queen and her disciples, Anna didn’t get the impression that demons did much cooperating as a community. She was stuck in an unknown, dark realm that felt like a place trudged up from the ocean floor of her soul. A shadow covered in rot and barnacles, hard to see clearly in the murk.

Maleficent went searching through the abandoned homes for some clothes to wear and a bandage to put on her arm. Vanellope got up too, saying she needed to stretch and have a good old walk, but Anna was sure she just wanted to give her and Elsa some time alone. 

Anna looked up at the sky, but found no stars she could recognize. The realization terrified her more than she thought it would, and send another wave of shakes through her body. Keep it together, don’t hyperventilate again. No panic attacks, Elsa is here, come on. Your friends might be dead. She was lost in a place between places, the underbelly of worlds that swirled on the wrathful precipice of existence. Down the path in front of her, hidden behind the buildings, she could still see the endless red ocean. Did anything live in it, or was it a sea of blood and poison like her anxiety told her it was, slowly encroaching upon the land like a tide that only ever moved in one direction?

Anna found the line where ocean and sky met, and felt a peculiar tugging in her chest, like the sea was looking back at her, piercing straight through to her heart. An indifferent, omniscient force as vast as the sky and impossible to comprehend. Endless. Anna shook her head, and rubbed at her forehead where she felt a headache coming on.

She startled as Elsa sat down next to her. What had she said when Anna first discovered she was a demon? That she’d ruined her life? Still not true, but Anna was finding it harder and hard to keep herself together and stay positive.

“Don’t stare at the sky too long,” Elsa said, “it’ll mess with your head.”

Anna sniffled. Light tears rolled down her cheeks, and she was crying again. She touched Elsa’s shoulder, unsure how far she could go. Elsa didn’t move her hand away. “W-Why?”

Elsa reached in and wiped a tear from Anna’s cheek. “Not a clue.” 

Anna chuckled, smiling. Their personal problems felt so far away now. She looked down at her dusty clothes, the scratches and cuts from their night of lovemaking still marking her skin. Had that only been the previous night? Elsa was covered in what barely counted as a rag, and between the scraps of fabric Anna could see the slow rise and fall of her chest and muscle. Too hot to live, Anna thought.

“This is so fucked.”

Elsa nodded. “It really is.”

Anna wasn’t sure where they stood. They’d never figured out their relationship, they’d been too busy fighting for their lives. It hadn’t even been a day, how could they? The boundaries were blurred, like sand tossed in the wind. Taking a chance, Anna leaned her head against Elsa’s shoulder. Thankfully, Elsa wrapped her arms around the girl without a moment’s hesitation and held her tight. She was warm. Home.

“I’m so glad you’re with me,” said Anna. “Maybe that’s not fair, because, like, this is a shitty situation and I hate that you’re suffering in it, but. Still.” She tried to mask her discomfort with a laugh.

“I’m glad, too.” Elsa sighed, deep and heavy. Anna nestled further against her, and wiggled up until the top of her head was touching Elsa’s chin. They’d slept like that after they’d had sex, close and unworried about anything else. Anna was already nostalgic for it. “Are you really okay with this?” Elsa asked in a hushed tone.

Anna grimaced. “Turning into a demon?” In the corner of her eye, she could still see the ocean. Red, ever present.

“Yeah.”

Anna took a deep breath. “I am,” she said, “whether or not I want it anymore, it feels like fate. I was already twined with you and your world, with the demons and stuff, and can’t forget what I’ve seen. And now, we’re here.” She laughed without humor.

“But do you want it?” 

Anna pushed away from Elsa’s chest, and looked her dead in the eye. “I do. I want to protect my friends.” The selfless reason. There was so much more, though. The life she’d already wanted felt so much more worth fighting for, now that she’d looked her death in the eye. “I want to swim under the ocean back home, and see the creatures I never could. I want to run through the trees like the wind, and travel by night.” Anna smiled. “And, I want to live side by side with you.” She’d said it before she fully grasped the words. 

Elsa flinched. She’d said too much, she knew. “I don’t want you to choose this because of me.”

“I, well, I mean it’s happening anyways, so. Like I said, I’m twined with you.”

“Still.”

Anna frowned. She felt fire kick up in her chest. “Elsa, come on! We love each other!” That same refrain, identical to before. Their love was worth fighting for, Anna knew it.

Elsa closed her eyes, and Anna thought she might cry. Her arms tightened around Anna, pulling her back in to her chest. “We can’t.” They both looked a mess, worn and scared in the eternal red glow cascading down from the suspended water. 

Anna pushed away again, her teeth grit. Elsa let go immediately, so Anna stood up and stared at her. “Elsa, I’m going to become a demon, that’s happening.” She wasn’t going to lose anyone else. She was going to live. Fuck this hell world and fuck Hans and fuck the Lords. “I have to. If you’re worried about hurting me, that won’t be an issue anymore!”

Elsa sniffled, and she was crying. Both of them were. “I’m scared, Anna.”

“I am, too,” Anna smiled, “but we’re lost in the Underworld and facing perilous danger. What if,” she swallowed, “what if we don’t have much time left?” She remembered Hans looking her in the eye, death in his smile. Anna stepped forward, and took Elsa’s hands in her own. Sitting down, the woman looked so much smaller than her, hunched in on herself and weary. “If Hans really does have Lord magic, our chances of surviving this, well,” Anna saw the person they’d met in the graveyard, saw Elsa removing their heart, “is it that dangerous to dream we could just, go for it?”

Elsa’s lip trembled. “W-We’ll get to the Queen in time. We have to.”

“And if we save the world, I want to spend every moment after with you. All of it, and all of you.” Anna was frustrated, her heart tight in her chest, but underneath, glowing stronger with each moment, was something akin to hope. She wanted her nights of watching bad anime with Elsa back. More than anything. They hadn’t had that in so long.

Elsa looked at her with bloodshot eyes, red as the sea. A moment passed, and Anna heard the wind blowing through the parapets above them. Far, far in the distance, she swore she could hear screaming.

Should she kiss her? Or would that just fuck it up? 

“That’s, well,” Elsa said, a smile crinkling up on the edges of her lips, “that’s a pretty good argument, actually.” Anna grinned. A beacon of light lit inside her. A small, warm thing, soothing and calm. 

“So, wait,” Anna wiped another tear from her face and stepped in for a hug. “Does that mean we can—“

“Ah, hold on.” Anna froze in place, arms outstretched. Elsa giggled, and sniffled. “Maybe,” she said.

“Maybe?”

Elsa gestured for her to finish her step, and Anna found herself wrapped in Elsa’s arms once more. “Turn first. Afterwards, if we save the world and you still feel up to it, well,” Elsa found Anna’s eyes, and she was smiling wide and genuine, “we can try.”

Anna sobbed, a mix of laughter and tears. “A-And then we can get out of this shithole and go live together in our mansion?”

Elsa smiled, and Anna never felt so loved. “I’d like that,” she said, “but even if it doesn’t work out between us romantically, the manor is still your home.” Her brow furrowed with determination, “That still stands.”

“O-Okay,” Anna said, already picturing it. She could wake up every morning next to Elsa. She could eat with her, hell, she could eat HER. They could go on so many adventures, test their abilities. They’d be a team, two trans nerds lost in a world of demons and chaos, finding the little smiles in each other and their passions. “It’s a deal.”

Anna moved in to kiss her, but before their lips could touch Elsa froze. Her eyes were fixed on something behind them, and Anna whirled around. Her breath caught in her throat. On the beach stood several figures. They were of all shapes, but with lumps and protrusions sprouting this way and that. Silhouetted against the bright red of the seawater, their eyes glowed bright.

Anna’s heart thundered in her chest, all desire gone out like a match. Fear filled in where it had been. She gripped Elsa’s ragged dress in her shaking hands, afraid even to move. The figures were still, quiet. 

Then the water began to bubble behind them, and a flurry of heavy, black tentacles whipped up from the waves. A figure emerged, large and powerful looking, a human torso attached to a sea of writhing flesh.

“Run,” Elsa said.

 

-o-

 

Anna snapped her eyes shut, feeling the fleshy heart in her hand and pleading for the courage to take the first bite. She could hear Ursula’s creatures in the streets below, growling, cursing, and smashing through the rotted wood and weathered stone of the town’s abandoned buildings. It wouldn’t long before they found their hiding spot. You have to protect your people, she thought. Vanellope, Elsa, and Rapunzel are relying on you. You have to fight for your love, your future.

“Anytime, now,” Malefizel said. Elsa snarled at her, teeth bared, but Malefizel just raised an eyebrow at her in response, and was silent. She was right. They were out of time.

Anna promised herself she wouldn’t turn because of Elsa. She did. She insisted it wouldn’t be a factor, but that was a lie. Not an intentional one, but how was she to completely separate Elsa from her life? To have any objectivity about the decision, even when their only worries involved their courtship? No, Elsa was always a factor. She was becoming like Elsa, not just becoming a demon. Stepping into her world. She wanted it more than she could describe. Out of one reality, the screaming, writhing masses of humanity, and into another, just as violent. Elsa was something she couldn’t remove from demonhood, for Elsa was demonhood.

Anna squeezed Elsa’s hand and looked into her eyes. They were so full of fear, and of love. Anna felt as ready as she was ever going to. She remembered the little flame in her heart. Change was change, and change is hard, no matter how much she wanted it.

Anna pulled her hand from Elsa’s grasp, and gripped the organ in both hands. She focused on the murmur outside the window, the danger looming, and felt adrenaline spike her in chest and flood her body. Seizing the moment, Anna lifted the heart to her mouth and bit down. 

It wasn’t as vile as she expected it to be. The blood was mostly gone already, long since drained, leaving only the tough flesh of the muscle. It tasted like salt and bile, and had the texture of pork that had been cooked too long. Anna tore off a piece, chewed, and swallowed. It went down easily. Taking a deep breath, pacing herself, Anna went to work.

Her mind wandered. She was on the beach, watching Elsa swim in the winter ocean. She was flying over the rooftops of downtown, clinging for dear life to Elsa’s back and letting out a holler. She did her best not to chew the meat too much, not to let the flesh linger in her mouth, but it was tough, and she had to work it between her teeth like a saw several times just to get purchase again. She was lying naked next to Elsa, her body sore and well loved.

The world disappeared around her. The bloody, wet red glow faded away, just as her companions did. She was alone with the meat, her feeling in her feet and hands fading. Was she going numb? She didn’t stop, she couldn’t stop. More of her body faded away, until it was just her and the demon heart in dialogue, becoming one. Anna saw a twirling of blood, a mixing of chemicals and life. A vertical spiral, extending forever into the sky.

Anna’s insides gurgled like boiling magma. She felt hot, warm to the touch, like fire. No, it something else. Purer than fire, more concentrated. She was heat, but she was also life, radiant like energy spinning a tapestry of stars through the cosmos. Her own heart was a candle, she realized. How had she not seen it before? Not a flame, but a candle. A candle of flesh, and love, and pain. Anna watched as the tapestry wove down from a sky full of galaxies and touched her wick, lighting her aflame, and she burned white like a star.

Anna opened her eyes. When had she closed them? Sweat trickled down her face and plopped onto the floor. She was on her hands and knees, heaving over the ground. She coughed into her hand, her breath felt hot against her skin. The heart was gone. When she pulled her hand away from her face, she saw that her nails were covered in viscera and leftover meat. She touched her lips, and found the same thing. She’d eaten it. She could vaguely make out the sound of people talking around her, but there was a fog separating them. 

No, it wasn’t her nails covered in blood. Anna shook her head, which felt heavier somehow. Her nails had been replaced by claws, thick and sharp like razors. Anna clenched her fist, watching the claws retract into her fingers before they stabbed into her palm. A shiver shot up her spine. 

“Hey,” said a faint voice, close to her ear, “how you holding up, tiger?” Anna shook. Vanellope? She could barely hear through the fog.

Anna hadn’t moved. Her eyes were locked on the floor, studying a mote of dust, and she realized she was panting. “Hey,” Vanellope said again, “you okay?” And she placed a hand on Anna’s back.

She shrieked, and the sound hit Anna like thunder from nowhere. She tore her hand away from Anna, staggering backwards. Anna wrenched her stunned eyes from the floor. She could see better, she noticed. The darkness outside was less impenetrable, the red light giving every building enough of a glow that Anna could see a skyline again. Vanellope cradled the hand that touched Anna, grimacing.

“Now you’ve done it, whelp!” Malefizel said, her eyes wild, “we need to leave!” The clouds in Anna’s head were fading. She could hear shouting below, howls and screams filtering in through the window of the tower.

She was in the Underworld, she’d eaten the heart. She was a demon. “Arendelle!” Malefizel said, “get Anna, but don’t touch her!” 

Anna heard Elsa kneel down beside her. Elsa, her beloved Elsa. She remembered crawling into bed with her during a panic attack that first night they’d met. A crash echoed from the building below, and Anna knew Ursula’s followers were upon them. “Anna,” Elsa said, finding her gaze and holding it. She was beautiful. The curve of her horns, the depth of her eyes. Anna wanted to lose herself in it.“You’re disoriented, and we need to get out of here. Hans’ people found us.” 

Anna nodded. “R-Right,” she said. “Vanellope screamed, what, what happened?”

“Vanellope will be fine, but we’re in a hurry. I need you to focus on me, just me, okay?”

Anna grunted, and shoved herself onto her knees, freeing her hands. She looked at them again. Her skin was white, she realized. Not the peach color her skin used to be, but a pure white like snow or bone. Unearthly; ghostly even. It wasn’t a color any human being should ever be. Thin lines of gold patterned the back of her hands, swirling like solar flares.

“Anna!” Elsa was pleading, looking for all the world like she wanted to take Anna in her arms, but she didn’t. Why?

“Elsa,” Anna said, “I don’t feel good.”

“I know you don’t, baby, but it’s going to be okay, I promise.” Elsa smiled at her, but her worried brow betrayed her terror. “I need you to do something for me, okay?”

“Anything.” And it was true.

“Your skin is burning, Anna.” Anna cocked her head. Wait, what? “Your skin is so hot that when Vanellope touched you, she burned her hand.”

Anna chuckled. The clouds swam in her vision again, and Elsa blurred. “Why thanks, Elsa, you’ve got hot skin, too.”

The yelling from the building below became louder, and Anna heard a high pitch screech from outside. “Now, Arendelle!” Malefizel yelled. She was tending to Vanellope’s hand, looking it over with a tenderness that surprised Anna.

“Anna, I need you to take some deep breaths,” Elsa said, “you’re a brand new, full blooded demon, and sometimes fullbloods get magic when they’re turned or born. This is your magic, and you need to calm it down.”

“Whoa, cool, okay.” Anna was too blitzed to make concrete sentences, and she did feel awfully hot. She took a deep breath, held it, and let it out. Were they going to die if she didn’t do this? What had she been thinking before she’d turned? So much fog.

The exercises came back like muscle memory, and she remembered how they’d helped her when Elsa was in heat, or after Elsa had been hurt. She sucked in another breath, and the cloudiness began to fade from her head an she centered herself. In and out, like waves on a blue ocean. Anna shook herself off, and felt once again the cold of the night air. She’d forgotten it’d even been cold.

Elsa smiled, nodding in encouragement. “That’s great, Anna! A little more, you’re gonna be okay.”

“Yeah, but, are we, though?” Vanellope asked from the corner. The snarling from below grew in volume, and the floorboards began to shake with heavy thuds.

“They’re coming up the ladder,” said Malefizel, “now or never, Arendelles!”

Anna blinked, pinching her nose, and the last of the heat spilled off her body, fleeing into the darkness like fireflies. The fog was gone. Elsa sighed in relief, and tugged Anna into a deep hug, kissing her on the cheek. Anna was about to embrace her back when Elsa backed away, looking into her eyes. “We have to leave. Are you okay now?”

Anna nodded. A life or death situation, she’d nearly forgotten. Her head felt clear, and as the reality of the situation dawned on her, Anna felt a needle of fear spike her chest once more. “I’m good,” she said. She had to be. “Let’s go!”

Malefizel shot to her feet, hands clenched at her sides. “We’re going out the window! Anna, take the runt,” she gestured at Vanellope, who was staring at Anna with wide eyes. Anna smiled sheepishly, and Vanellope cracked a hesitant smile. “Arendelle,” Malefizel said to Elsa, “I need you to carry me.” Elsa was on her feet in a second, and lifted Malefizel into her arms.

Anna stood up, and nearly lost her balance. The weight of her body was completely different. She was taller, at least a good seven or eight inches, almost reaching Elsa’s height. Her head wobbled on her neck from the weight of her horns, which she touched and realized were curved in spirals like a ram’s. Her hair was longer, and felt thicker. Her mouth was full of razor-like incisors, and she stood on two strangely fluffy digitigrade feet. Where Elsa’s feet were like a lizard’s, Anna’s were like a cat’s. She seemed to be furrier in general, she noticed, with tufts of brilliant scarlet hair lining her forearms. Five long, thin, white tails tipped with steel whipped behind her like a squid’s tentacles, poking out from the space between the hem of her shirt and her pants. 

It was a lot to take in at once, but she didn’t have time to adjust. Catching her balance, Anna walked over to Vanellope on shaky legs. The trapdoor shook beside them as something began hammering and snarling on the other side. That lock wouldn’t hold long.

Anna held her arms open and Vanellope leapt up into her embrace, wrapping herself around Anna’s neck. “My hero,” she said, a sly smile on her lips. Anna couldn’t be sure in the light, but she thought Vanellope might be blushing.

“Sorry about the burn,” said Anna.

“No biggie.”

“Haste, lest you enjoy being corpses!” Malefizel said.

Anna turned towards the window. Elsa leapt through, shattering what remained outwards and down onto the street. She landed on the rooftop of the adjacent building, and thankfully the material held. Anna swallowed. Vanellope leaned up and kissed her cheek.

“Don’t die,” she said. 

Anna snorted. She wasn’t sure how much force she needed to actually clear the gap, much less not die. So she opted to take a running start, and heaved herself out the window just as the trap door smashed open behind them. She was flying; the same feeling she’d felt while running with Elsa through Seattle came hurtling back to her, breezy and free. A smile erupted on her face. 

And then she saw where she was going, and slammed into the building behind the one Elsa landed on, overshooting her target by at 100 feet. Anna landed on her hands and knees, one arm holding Vanellope tight to her chest. Elsa hopped the second gap and landed next to Anna as she was standing up to catch her breath.

She felt like she’d been told she’d never have to worry about finances again in her life. Her heart sang, beating with raw life. “Babe,” she said to Elsa, “that was fucking amazing.” 

Elsa smiled, but Malefizel cut her off before she could speak. “Not the time!”

“And where are we going?” Elsa asked, grimacing at her.

Vanellope giggled. “That’s a good fucking question,” she said, “can we stop by the thrift mart on the way out? I want what’s she’s having,” she pointed at Anna’s face. The girl looked like she was about to pop from excitement. 

They could hear the sounds of shouting approaching the building, and Anna startled as several dark shapes hurtled into the air above them from street level and crashed down on a nearby tower, crushing the bowl of glowing water and spilling it onto the cobblestone below.

“Arendelle,” Malefizel said, and both Anna and Elsa looked at her, “get us out of here. Head for the plains on the far edge of town, opposite from the ocean.” She looked like an innocent princess in Elsa’s arms, but spoke as if she were about to snap someone’s neck.

Elsa nodded, and glanced at Anna. They leapt down to street level, the cobble cold and sticky under Anna’s feet. Elsa took off, and Anna did her best to keep up. They weaved through the streets, dodging past downed buildings and rubble. Elsa seemed to be leading them in a wide circle through the town in attempt to avoid the demons hunting them. Soon, the gnashing sound of the creatures was lost behind them. It was quiet, with only the sound of rushing wind and pattering feet catching Anna’s ears.

Then she heard Vanellope speak, and she realized the girl was curled up against her chest with her nose buried in Anna’s shirt. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m sorry I fucked up and they found us.”

Anna frowned. “What? V, it’s okay! You didn’t know. Hell, I didn’t know!” Elsa turned a sharp left, and Anna had to skid across the cobblestone to keep up without losing speed. She ran like a raw, open freedom lived in her chest. It was intoxicating.

“Anna, what if I’ve killed us? I fucked up once and we could all die, just once.” She nestled against Anna’s chest. “I’m sorry, A. If we die, I love you, ya know? You’re my best human.” She snorted, catching herself. “Well, you know what I mean.”

Anna smiled. “You’re my best human, too. Don’t give up yet, okay? We’ll figure this out, and then we can run around as demons together and do crazy shit.”

Vanellope laughed, wiping her eyes. “I’d like that.”

The narrow street opened up, and the cathedrals and homes fell away. They entered what appeared to be an industrial area from the 1860s, with large brick buildings spread out over an open space. The structures had shattered windows and broken doors, but when Anna peered inside a few all she could see was swirling darkness and hundreds of tiny, blinking eyes climbing over each other in mass. 

She was very, very glad they didn’t have to go inside. Elsa made a beeline for a large, iron gate embedded in a brick wall. The buildings fell away just before it, revealing a wide road. Anna glanced down it, only to realize the brick wall extended beyond her line of sight in either direction. Did it wrap around the entire town?

“That’s our way out,” Malefizel said. Sure enough, Anna could see a vast shrub plain beyond the gate. Scattered through the rolling wastes were large, pointed towers built upon high rising hills. Great, shining light of gold topped them all, and glimmered downwards to light the land below like inland lighthouses. 

Was daytime even a thing in the Underworld? At their distance, Anna couldn’t tell whether it was water or something else glowing atop the spires, but the light they produced colored the entirety of the plain gold like fields of wheat. A deep claustrophobia settled over Anna, and she felt as if she were buried underground with only a faint lamp for comfort. There were no clouds in the sky, only the vast, infinite void, and yet she still felt as if the world itself, its air, its land, was closing in around her with the intent to snuff her from existence.

Anna and Elsa skidded to a stop before the closed gate. “Cool,” Vanellope said.

Elsa let out a sigh of relief, and glanced back at Anna. Anna smiled. As they stepped towards the wrought iron, a mountain of screams echoed through the streets around them, cutting the air like a chainsaw. Anna shuddered, the noise deafening. She watched as the creatures from the beach began to climb over the brick wall. Dozens, no, hundreds of them spilled over the barricade at once, falling to the cobble below without regard for their own lives. Once over, they stood up again. 

The creatures were naked, and up close Anna could see they were all much, much too long. Too many joints in their arms and legs, too many vertebrae in their spines. And in some, too many arms and too many heads.

They opened their mouths open to reveal hundreds of rows of shark teeth extending all the way back and and down their throats. They moaned, heavy and growling, and reminded Anna of people screaming underwater only to find their lungs filled, their life vanishing.

Vanellope gripped Anna’s hand, and slid out of her arms onto the ground. She trembled, her knees knocking together. 

Malefizel dropped to the ground. Elsa closed the distance to Anna, and took her other hand in a fierce grip. A booming voice called out from behind the wall.

“Ohh, you poor, poor things.” Anna heard a deep laugh, and watched as a great, undulating mass tangled itself over the wall and climbed down on a thousand writhing tendrils. From the chaos a torso emerged, revealing a blue skinned woman with short, spiraling hair. She grinned, and her lips peeled back to reveal teeth that went up to her ears. Anna shivered, and it took all her might to keep herself from whining in terror.

“Don’t say anything,” Elsa said in a whisper, her voice curt, “we don’t know what she knows.” 

Ursula approached, sliding across the cobblestone. Her creatures remained where they fell, swaying side to side. “What has Hans sent me after today?” she said. She locked eyes with each of them, her grin unfaltering. “A child,” she said to Vanellope, the girl’s arms crossed in front of her with her chest puffed out. Still, she shook with fear. Ursula sniffed the air in Anna and Elsa’s direction and pointed between them, “a newborn and a halfbreed, and,” her eyes fell on Malefizel, and Anna’s heart hammered hard in her chest. Would she know? Could she? Ursula chuckled. “A small thing, lost in the nightmare. Such a shame.” She tutted, and rested her arms on her hips. “No, not a remarkable thing among you. Such a shame, such a shame.”

Anna’s heart stopped. Hans didn’t know Maleficent was still alive, or he would have told Ursula. Had he assumed everyone he’d thrown into the Underworld would be dead already, lost and confused without a guide? Anna glanced at her companions, and saw that they’d had the same thought. Malefizel was smirking, smug as could be.

“Now that I’ve caught you,” Ursula said, “there’s just the question of what to do with you.” She hummed, sighing as if she were picking a channel to watch on TV. “You could join my little family,” she glanced at the army behind her, “or maybe I should have my own fun for once?” She stopped, a snarl on her face, holding as if expecting a response. When she received none, she frowned. “What? Nothing? Ursula scowled. “What a bore.”

Anna’s mind raced. What could she do? She couldn’t die here, not yet. She was stronger than she’d ever been in her life, stronger than any human, but she didn’t even have the first grasp of her magic. And Ursula had an army of creatures, be they slaves or willful combatants Anna didn’t know. They just needed a distraction, something to tip the scales. Then, like a drop of water on the smooth surface of a pond, Anna had an idea. She stepped forward, and caught Ursula’s attention. The sea witch quirked an eyebrow at her. Anna remembered as hard as she could, the sensation from just minutes ago. The fire, the heat. The change, the stars. What had she been feeling as she’d turned? She reached for it, grasped up into the void. She felt Elsa’s eyes on her, watchful and protective. 

“S-Sorry we’re a bit of a bore,” Anna said. Malefizel gave her a look--as if to say what are you doing?--and Anna glanced at her, pleading with her not to speak up. “But maybe we can change that?”

Ursula smiled, and slid up to Anna. Even with her new size, the sea witch towered above her, a small upper body connected to a mass of flesh. “Sorry?” Ursula threw her head back and cackled. “Don’t think you can talk your way out of this one, honey.”

“Oh, not at all,” Anna imagined the fire of suns, the spark that lit the candle aflame and birthed the universe. The candle grew hot in her chest, “but you did say you were bored, and I’d like to live a little longer, so how about a wager?”

Ursula’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh?” she said. She crossed her arms, eyes wandering over Anna. “I did come all the way out here, I’d hate to have the hunt end so soon.” She spoke as if she held all the cards, assured and confidant of her victory. “What did you have in mind?”

Anna went with the first thing that popped into her head. “Give us a five second head start, and if you catch us again, we’ll do whatever you want.” She could hear Malefizel seething off to her left, feel Elsa warring inside herself on whether to step in, but she didn’t look. Please trust me, she thought.

Ursula shook her head. “Ah, but I already did that.” She gestured to the swaying creatures behind her. “Try again, kid.”

Anna suppressed the urge to cough. Think, think. “O-okay, what if we fight one on one against your entire army? See who lives the longest.” She stepped forward, forcing herself to smile. “That way we get to die fighting, at least.”

Ursula rested her head on her head, thinking. Anna did her best to control her breathing. Don’t hyperventilate, in and out. Then Ursula grinned. “I like it,” she said, “that will do nicely.” She nodded to herself, settling the matter. “Who will go first? Or shall we find out by seeing who can best handle the pain of being flayed?” 

“I will,” Anna said, taking another step forward and reaching out her hand for Ursula to shake. She trembled, afraid her legs might fail her at any second. Anna felt the energy burn in her heart, felt the fog in her head. Stay focused, just hold it, hold it! She heard a step on the cobble, and knew Elsa had begun to walk forward behind her. Ursula let out a hearty laugh, then lowered herself to Anna’s eye level and took her hand, a bemused smiled on her lips.

The reaction was instantaneous. Ursula howled, eyes wide and staring down at her hand. It burned, hot like magma. Anna moved in, smooth as water, and slammed her other hand around Ursula’s face. Her cries turned sharp, cutting like knives.

Anna was about to step back, the damage done, when she felt a hiccup in her heart and a pyre of rainbow colored light and flame erupted from her hand and blasting against Ursula’s face. The eruption threw Anna backwards, and she tumbled through the air and onto her side. She felt like she’d shot a truck out of her hand. What the fuck? Ursula screamed, and her army charged. Anna tried to scamper to her feet, adrenaline running hard through her like blood lightning, but the rainbow fire was still pluming from her hand. It jerked her left and right, tossing her like she were made of cloth. 

She slammed against the ground again and again, stinging her bruises from the previous night. Anna gripped her wrist with her free hand, fighting for control. She fell on to her back, knew she had to get up, but she couldn’t. The magic spewed forth into the sky like a geyser of stars. Anna breathed deep, trying to find her peace again as the swath of creatures ran at her. She looked around, and saw her friends moving into help but unsure of how to proceed. Elsa looked distraught. Anna thought of her love for her, thought of her smile. She caught her breath, coughing, and the flame sputtered out. Her hand fell beside her, and she leapt up onto her feet again. 

The horde surrounded Ursula, climbing in and around her tentacles like a shield, burying her. “Come on!” Malefizel yelled, and Anna felt Vanellope leap up onto her and cling to her back. She glanced at her, and then leapt onto a nearby building, Elsa close behind. When they landed, Anna was already out of breath. She felt worn, sluggish. 

“Holy shit, Anna, never ever fucking do that again, oh my god,” Elsa said after she landed, but she was smiling, and Anna wanted to kiss her. 

“Actually, please do that again?” added Vanellope, “that was rad as hell!”

“Focus!!” Malefizel called from Elsa’s back. The mass below swirled like a storm, and hurtled towards the building they stood on. Ursula sounded like she was singing, shrill and piercing. Anna searched, found her in the crowd, and paused. Ursula was tearing flesh off her creatures, and they seemed to be thanking her for it.

“Yes, please, thank you,” she heard them say as Ursula ripped flesh from their arms and legs and shoved it into her mouth. As she did, the burns on her face healed faster than Anna could think. Some of the creatures leapt, landing on the same building as Anna. 

She didn’t need to check for Elsa, and hurtled herself over the gap between the buildings and the brick wall. Anna just barely caught the edge with her claws. She scurried up, Vanellope clinging to her neck, Anna’s talons digging into the brick like it was putty. The swarm changed directions, and the creatures sprinted towards them.

Anna stood atop the wall, the golden plain extending out beyond the horizon before her. She heard the scrape of climbing behind her, Ursula’s song rising in volume and pitch like a shrieking dirge. Elsa stood next to her, focused and sharp. Anna found her eyes, taking them in. Love bloomed in her chest, and she smiled. She’d outsmarted Ursula. They could do this. Anna took Elsa’s hand, squeezed, and they leapt into the grassland below.


	17. Elsa VII & Maleficent I

How long had they been running for? Hours? Days? Elsa wasn’t sure, and it didn’t help that no matter how miles they seemed to cover, dawn never came to the dark world about them. The glowing towers loomed, ever distant. Ursula’s creatures threw themselves after Elsa and her party in chase, some straggling after crashing to the ground from the top of the wall only to continue pursuit on broken, bleeding legs.

Anna sprinted at Elsa’s side, Vanellope clinging to her for dear life. Malefizel rode on Elsa’s back, quiet and focused. The hoard chased them like a great mass of water rising over the shore, heavy with wet and ready to collapse onto them. The shrub land disappeared under them as they closed the distance to the first glowing yellow tower. The plains spread out in every direction, flat and arid save for the rocks and grass glowing in the golden light. The towers were the only structures in sight. Elsa racked her mind for options, but the towers appeared to be all they had. 

The cacophony of howls followed her for what felt like miles, all the while the towers only got incrementally closer. How far out were they? They appeared so much taller now, looming in the sky and scraping the clouds. She still couldn’t tell what it was at the tops that emanated the golden light.  
Elsa growled, her legs burning under her from the continued exertion. Anna, new to her demon body, was faring worse, panting and heaving as she pumped her legs to keep up with Elsa. She looked bad. Sooner or later their bodies would give out, and without shelter death would find them all swiftly. Perhaps the plains hadn’t been their best choice, but it wasn’t the time to chastise Malefizel about it. 

Elsa felt for Anna with her sixth sense like she’d done so many times before, only to remember again that she couldn’t sense the girl anymore. It jarred her like something lost. She’d always been able to reach out and feel Anna, know her heart was still beating steady, but after her change Elsa saw only darkness. She had to check with her eyes to make sure she was still running alongside her, still breathing. The sight of her love breathing hard and struggling to stay afoot did little to lift her anxiety. 

She chanced a glance behind her, and saw the horde still in pursuit, only a little farther back than the last time she’d looked. If anything, they’d grown in number. She scowled, her breath coming in short gasps. She lacked options. 

“Anna,” she said, the words straining in her throat. Anna glanced at her, her teeth clenched. Sweat poured down her face. “W-We have to outrun them, or they’ll follow us to wherever we hide.” Elsa did her best to smile. “Stay strong.”

Anna nodded, and let her head drop to face the ground hurtling away under her feet. Elsa’s heart clenched. They ran, and ran, and ran. Every inch of Elsa burned, and still the sky remained shadowy with distant stars. An hour passed, then another, and little by little the horde fell further away into the black behind them. Elsa wasn’t sure whether they’d split off in another direction or just slowed to where she couldn’t see them, but she knew they couldn’t afford to stop yet. Anna was silent beside her, her breath barely more than a rasp. For a moment Elsa considered carrying her, too. 

At long last they reached the first tower, and for all Elsa knew a full day had passed in the time it took them to reach it. The stars moved in the sky, she’d watched them, but still no sun would rise. Did demons even know sunlight? The surface of the tower was wood, Elsa realized as they approached the side, black and seared like it’d been struck with lightning. It was larger around and taller than the biggest skyscrapers Elsa had ever seen, jutting at a perpendicular angle from the plains like a thorn on a rosebush. Up close, the beacon at the top was far enough away that it might as well have been a star.

Anna heaved next to her, legs still firing away, but her head lolled to the side, her eyes glazed over. If they were going to stop, the time had come. Elsa double-checked behind them. Still no demons. They strafed around the side of the lighthouse, Anna struggling to keep up. Just a little longer. Then, directly ahead of them, Elsa spotted a dip in the ground containing boulders the sizes of houses emerging from the shadow of the tower. It was the closet thing to cover she’d seen in miles, and it would have to do. She fell back and grabbed Anna’s hand, accelerating with her in tow towards the gully of rocks. She dove between them, glancing around for anything that could work as a hideout, somewhere to hide when the demons caught up.

Towards the center of the stone quarry, Elsa found what she was looking for: a cave cut into the hill that led down into the ground like a burrow. A smaller boulder sat next to it as if it had once been used as a door. It looked too intentional to be natural, but Elsa didn’t have time to second-guess it.

She gunned for the cave entrance and shepherded Anna in, hands squeezing her shoulders, then let Malefizel drop to her feet before heaving the stone door over the opening and engulfing them in darkness. Elsa dropped to the ground, blood pounding in her ears. She let her head clatter against the rock, her horns scraping its hard surface. Elsa closed her eyes. Her insides burned like a hundred cuts running down her throat. She could cry. Her panting was all she could hear, her body spent and unable to move. She hadn’t run like that in years, and every muscle in her body screamed at her. It was amazing what she was capable of when the alternative was death. 

A hand touched Elsa shoulder, and she flinched. She flicked her eyes open, and looked up into the darkness. Her night vision finished adjusting from the golden light of the plains to the dark of the cave, and she could see Vanellope kneeling beside her.

“You alright, demon mama?” the girl asked. 

Elsa coughed, her voice raspy. “I’m okay. How’s Anna?”

Vanellope smirked. “She’ll be okay, she’s just exhausted.” 

A light flickered into being further down the tunnel, and Elsa could see that it went on for a ways before opening up into a small room. She squinted. Anna was lying on the ground, chest rising and falling. Her skin radiated a warm, orange glow. Elsa smiled. With Vanellope’s help she got back to her feet, her legs still numb, and staggered down the corridor. Everything inside her hurt. 

Anna grinned up from her spot at the ground as Elsa approached. “You’re looking fine,” she said.

Elsa chuckled, but it hurt her throat. “You’re not so bad yourself.” 

Anna was unconscious before she could formulate a reply. The tension lifted from her face as she fell into sleep, exhaustion pulling her down like ocean waves. Elsa sighed, and let herself fall once more to the floor.

The room she found herself in was wide and bare. Several rocks were set out as if they’d been used as seats before, but to all other appearances the cave was just a cave. Who made it? Vanellope walked towards the wall where Malefizel sat with her arms crossed and slumped down next to her.

“What do you want?” Malefizel asked, not even looking at her. Her voice was low, and lacked its usual conviction. 

“Thanks for helping us not die,” said Vanellope. Malefizel snorted in reply. Exhaustion blanketed them, and to Elsa even speaking felt like too much effort. She wanted to follow Anna’s lead and pass out, but she knew she couldn’t. They weren’t safe, not yet. 

Elsa pulled herself across the hard packed dirt, and lifted Anna’s newly horned head onto her lap. She caressed her girl’s forehead, humming a tuneless lullaby. Drops of sweat slipped from her short hair and plopped down onto Anna’s nose. Her lips twitched, but she didn’t wake. 

In her glow, Anna looked more vibrant than ever, shimmering like a pale star with flaming red accents. Her skin was warm, but not burning like before. The pants she’d been wearing were nearly destroyed, and were covered in split seams from where she’d grown during her transformation. Her horns were elegant spirals, her tails waving like blades of soft grass. She was so beautiful, so powerful. Elsa’s heart beat hard in her head. She traced her fingers over Anna’s temples, doing her best to soothe her. 

Anna had done so well. The trick she’d pulled on Ursula had been nothing short of brilliant, the fire that erupted from her hand as beautiful as a galaxy. The pride welling in Elsa’s chest was nearly enough to block out the raw soreness of her muscles. She leaned over the girl and pecked Anna’s cheek, lingering for a moment to feel her warm skin on her lips. She was intoxicating, utterly riveting even as Elsa’s body begged her to sleep. 

Elsa loved her. She longed for the story Anna had spun of their future together, of their shared life. She wanted to try to be with Anna, she really did, but she was still at war with herself, a pyrrhic fight waging inside her heart. She promised Anna they could give it a chance. No matter what Elsa’s anxiety told her, Anna was right. They’d just spent who knew how many hours running for their lives, how long did they really have left together in the face of such overwhelming odds? It was sobering to think about, but somehow so much clearer: in the face of absolute fear, she had nothing to lose by embracing her love. Anna deserved better than Elsa had given her, telling her she loved her but being unable to commit, ruled by anxiety and social expectations. She was pathetic. 

Elsa saw herself basking in the sun at her family’s house on the beach, Anna in her arms with a drink shared between them. They’d be reading aloud to one another, or maybe watching the latest episode of some new show Anna loved. Every now and then they’d retreat back inside to share in each other’s bodies, kissing and fucking until neither of them could breathe. They’d sleep for days, live on their own schedule, and make time to host parties for their friends at the manor. The images were hazy, but warm. Elsa would take Anna to the fair, they’d learn more about each other, and they’d put in the work required by love in day in and day out. 

It would be their life, and now that Anna was a demon Elsa’s old reservations didn’t really apply. She was young, but their age gap would hardly matter in a decade. Or two, or three. Anna’s life was, in a way both tragic and beautiful, limited and opened up by her new body, her new form. She’d traded human laws for demon ones. It was a change neither good nor bad, but instead something beautiful, and their experience of demonhood was something they both wanted to share together. 

Elsa never thought of herself as deserving of such a life. But maybe, just maybe, she could let herself indulge a dream for once. A dream with Anna was a dream worth fighting for. And if they survived, if they defeated Hans, they’d have saved the world, too. Maybe then Elsa could deserve happiness, her anxiety said, even as she knew intellectually that she’d always deserved it. Everyone deserves to be happy, right? Why shouldn’t she count herself among that number? It was getting harder and harder to find a good enough reason. 

But first, they had to get out their predicament alive. Anna could be part of her reason, for Elsa wanted nothing more than to go on the adventure they’d dreamed together. She glanced at Vanellope and Malefizel. They were still collapsed against the cave wall, weary and worn. They didn’t even seem to care that they were nearly learning on one another for support.

Elsa felt a fire in her chest, her own burning will surprising her. She wanted to live, to see the future. Even without Anna, maybe that could be enough. There was always something worth living for. “Hey,” Elsa said to Malefizel, “how long do you think we have until Ursula’s demons arrive?”

Malefizel sighed. “I don’t know, but not long.” Elsa frowned and wished more than ever that she could sense demons with her sixth sense. 

“No chance they stopped to get Starbucks, right?” Vanellope asked.

“Unlikely.”

Elsa shuffled. She didn’t know how long it would take the creatures to catch up, but she knew she didn’t have long. Ursula would never give up after what Anna did to her. Elsa sighed, and noticed the burn in her muscles had lessened. 

“I need to go out there and get two more demon hearts for the two of you,” She said, and glanced at Malefizel. “With yours as backup only, of course.”

Malefizel scowled. “Of course.” Vanellope elbowed her in the side, but she didn’t react. Heavy bags sagged under her eyes, and Elsa got the impression she was too exhausted to put up something even close to her usual amount of fight.

“Will you be okay? Are you gonna wake up Anna?” Vanellope asked.

Elsa knew she should. She had a better chance of coming back alive with her girl’s help, but this wasn’t her first tight spot, and she already had the makings of a plan. Anna was just getting used to her powers, and needed rest lest she burn out completely. Plus, if she wasn’t careful her glowing might bring the enemy right to them. “No, let her rest. I’ll jump two of them after the horde passes, nothing huge.” Elsa turned towards the tunnel. “Don’t come after me, no matter what.” She didn’t bother waiting for a reply, and took one last moment to catch her breath before darting back up the passage, her legs singing with a comfortable amount of pain. 

 

-o-

 

Maleficent felt her exhaustion all the way down into her bones. They weren’t really her bones, she knew, but that didn’t stop her from thinking of them as such. Her eyes were slipping shut, sleep tugging at her, but she scraped it away, angry. She couldn’t fall asleep. Not now.

Elsa’s mate was out cold on the floor of the cavern, dust clinging to her shirt and torn pants. Her braids were a mess, frazzled and undone, and she stank of sweat. Maleficent crinkled her nose at the girl. She was thankful that Anna provided them with light to see by, but the situation was far from ideal. The nuisance had risen and moved to sit next to Anna after Elsa left, her hand caressing the girl’s shoulder and watching her eyes flicker under closed lids. 

The noble lady Arendelle hadn’t been gone ten minutes, but already Vanellope looked as if she might break down from fear. Besides the obvious threat of their imminent deaths, the girl was alone in the dark earth with the old Lord Maleficent, so of course she should be afraid. At least she wasn’t talking. Maleficent didn’t want to her any sound originating from the whelp; she didn’t even want to hear Elsa or Anna, she just wanted to get her body back, make sure her Queen was still alive, and then lie down with a cup of black coffee.

Idly, Maleficent wondered whether this would be how Elsa died. Outside the door, failing to ambush Ursula’s monsters. She’d been watching Arendelles die for generations; Maleficent remembered the day she’d appeared before Elsa’s ancestor, the summoning runes still in the floor, and on a whim offered a deal of service instead of killing her on the spot. Since then she’d known many of them, some better than others, and passed on her lessons like clockwork. Every time it ended the same: some demon would break out of the Underworld and her Arendelle would die. 

Would Elsa break the pattern, and die somewhere other than the Seattle metro area? Not much of a statistic. Maleficent would be sad to see her go, especially without an heir to indoctrinate, but like all things her relationship with the Arendelle family had to end somewhere. Perhaps she’d visit the manor one last time, and check whether Gerda made it out alive. She wasn’t optimistic about the chances. 

Maleficent was afraid, and she was utterly loathe to admit it. Just two days ago she’d held all the power in the world, coming and going between planes of existence like a god incarnate and free to condemn traitors to slaughter at her first impulse. But now? She was huddled in a cave like a child. Her broken hand twitched, pain spilling up her elbow into her torso. She bit it back, but still it hurt, unhealed. It should have been healed. In her old body it would have been good as new hours ago, but she wasn’t in her old body, she wasn’t even in a body she could call her own, and that scared her more than the threat of death.

She hadn’t expected a body swap to terrorize her. She wasn’t any better than the weak humans she’d been protecting for centuries, frail and short lived and emotional. The desire to smash her other hand against the wall overwhelmed her. To make a point, to hurt the girl who’s body she’d stolen for even being human. Rapunzel. Oh, how she hated her. 

Maleficent felt her, warm and glowing and nestled behind her own heart. Her consciousness was curled up, small and meek, utterly asleep and unaware of the horror surrounding her. If she peered in, Maleficent could see her dreams. Rolling hills, a family. Two parents who could never understand, a woman with a cruel smile; a brother, their hands held tight in the dark. She dreamed of fear, of anxiety. She dreamed of Elsa, a horrible caricature of demons sewn together in a statue of ice, looming and powerful. Anna stood beside the monstrous Elsa holding her hand, unaware of the danger she was in. It was all so trivial. 

Maleficent was not unsympathetic to Rapunzel’s plight. Watching her dreams as a bystander, she could see the girl’s fears and pain laid out like a tapestry. Were her heart not at least somewhat pulled, what kind of person would be? She still hated her for her weakness, for her humanity. Sympathy didn’t change the fact that Maleficent couldn’t afford to die, and that she’d happened to find herself awaking upon death in Rapunzel’s body. It didn’t quell the burning, roiling resentment within her. Rapunzel’s body was hers, now. Perhaps someday she’d get to swap again and Rapunzel could have her life back, but she wasn’t counting on it. No, it was all too likely that they’d all die before Maleficent could become a Lord again. The thought depressed her, but in the back of her head she’d always known she’d die in pain, killed by those she’d been charged to quell in the name of peace amongst the realms of existence. 

Maleficent refused to go out easily, and if Rapunzel had to suffer for her vengeance against Hans so be it. Breaking her body further would only turn Maleficent’s allies against her. She glanced at Vanellope and Anna, and grimaced. Even with three demons, or hell, even with four demons, they were likely doomed where they stood. Ursula had been in the business of murder and trickery for decades, and Maleficent cursed herself for not realizing sooner that Hans would find a way to get her in is employ. At every turn she’d underestimated him, it seemed. 

Maleficent missed her own arms, her own legs. She missed the touch of her body, the cackle of her voice. Her strength, her power. Nothing felt right anymore. The tactile feeling of inhabiting Rapunzel made her want to cry, and she hoped becoming a Lord again would allow her to fabricate something close to what she’d had. Then, maybe, she could let Rapunzel go. 

If only she had a better idea of where she was. Maleficent knew the red ocean was south of Gothel’s wood, but she didn’t know how far south, much less the details of the realms that spanned the distance between. She knew nothing of the plain they traveled, not even the name. Her reluctant allies were relying on her for information, but she had less than she let on. She needed them if she was going to make it, and that knowledge too filled her with hate. 

Maleficent opened her eyes. When had she closed them? She shook her head, willing herself to stay awake. When her bleary eyes refocused, she found Vanellope glaring at her. Maleficent bared Rapunzel’s teeth in a snarl.

“What is it, whelp?” She asked.

Vanellope frowned. “Well, I was gonna ask how you were doing. What’s your fucking deal? Do you gotta act like a bitch queen even when we’re all running for our lives?”

“Don’t question me.” 

“Too bad.” Vanellope crossed her arms. “Would it kill you to be a little civil? Elsa is out there risking her life for ours, the least you could do is pretend to be thankful.”

Maleficent growled. Of course she was thankful to Elsa; she was thankful in more ways than Elsa could ever know. But, she wasn’t about to admit that to a child who knew nothing of the world. “What about you? Must you ceaselessly chide me as we, as you say, run for our lives?”

“I’m joking with you, obviously. At least when I’m not giving you well-deserved shit, you body jacker.”

Maleficent bristled. “How are either of those things constructive to our situation?” She rumbled, her voice like serrated knives. Why was she even having this conversation? She needed the runt to increase her own odds of survival, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t tear her tongue out to keep her quiet. At least, Maleficent wanted to main Vanellope, but something inside her wasn’t letting her follow the thought to its conclusion; a feeling. Guilt? Shame? Perhaps even compassion? The wretched emotion was nestled in the same place Maleficent felt Rapunzel sleeping, and for all the life of her she couldn’t tell whether it originated from herself or the girl. Another reason to hate her new body. 

“It’s not,” Vanellope said, “at least, not functionally? But we all cope with this shit in different ways. So yeah, functionally after all I guess.”

“Ah,” Maleficent smirked, “so you use idle banter to hide your own pain? How precious.” 

“Fuck you!” Vanellope stood, jabbing a finger at Maleficent, “at least I’m not a dick to everyone for no reason!”

“I have a reason.”

“Bet it’s not a good one!”

Fear tended not to be a good reason. Fear of dying, fear of being powerless. But it was Maleficent’s reason, and that made it noble. She wasn’t about to let anyone lecture her, especially not the runt with too much to say. This girl didn’t know anything. Maleficent wanted to threaten her, to lash out, but she could do nothing, she was nothing. She lived in the weak body of a sad human girl, her arms spindly, her muscles untrained. To Maleficent she was but a corpse, a corpse living in her chest and radiating bright, kind light like a disease. 

She wanted to retort, wanted to pull Vanellope apart at the seams, but in truth Maleficent had nothing to say, no threats to fall back on. She decided to try another tactic, something she hadn’t used in some years. The payoff would be delayed, but at least it would give her some satisfaction. 

“I’m sorry for being a bitch,” Maleficent said, the words crawling like death in her mouth, bleeding her jaw dry.

Vanellope’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide. She was taken aback, stunned, and it was all the victory Maleficent could hope for. She hadn’t meant it, of course, she never would, but the words were still ammunition in her belt that she could fire later. 

“A-Alright then,” said Vanellope, sitting back down next to Anna, her eyes turning away from Maleficent’s, “I guess that’s a start.” Maleficent allowed herself to smirk. Fool.

Anna stirred. Maleficent watched the girl blinking her eyes and rub at her face. Vanellope smiled, and caressed her shoulder with a firm hand. “Ugh,” said Anna, “did I pass out for a bit there?” 

“Yup, wake up starshine,” said Vanellope. 

Anna lumbered into a sitting position, her eyes bleary. Her glow remained, lighting the room as it had before. The girl glanced around the cavern, her mouth hanging open. “Where’s Elsa?”

“She went out to ambush the demons chasing us, said she’d get us some demon hearts.”

Anna perked up, her mouth snapping shut. “What?” She jolted to her feet. “Fuck, really? I need to go help her!”

“You’d only get in the way,” Maleficent said, drawing looks from her companions, “let Arendelle handle this on her own.”

Terror glistened in Anna’s dark pupils. What would she do when Elsa died protecting her, or vice versa? Maleficent couldn’t help but wonder. They cared so much about each other, shared so much adoration; it was like looking into a distorted mirror.

“I have to go,” Anna said.

“No,” Maleficent raised her voice, “You’ll distract her.”

“So what, you’ll stop me?” 

She didn’t have a response to that. There were many things she didn’t have a response to, Maleficent was finding. She used to have a retort at the ready for every situation, but now she couldn’t back up a word she said. Pitiful. She squeezed her broken hand, relishing the hot pain it brought her.

Anna turned back to Vanellope and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Keep an eye on grumpy. I’ll be back, I promise.”

“You better,” Vanellope said. Now that Maleficent was looking for it, Vanellope’s deflections were really too obvious. Did Anna realize she was so afraid? 

Anna darted up the passage, and Maleficent was cast again into darkness. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when they did she saw Vanellope huddled against the far wall of the cave, her face buried in her crossed arms.

 

-o-

 

Elsa crouched atop the boulder nearest to the entrance of her companions’ hiding place. A large chunk was cut out of the top of the rock, and when ducked all the way down Elsa found herself to be more or less invisible from the ground on all sides. The hole in the rock, much like the cavern, looked far too intentional to be natural, and had such a good survey of the plains and surrounding boulders that Elsa was convinced someone had made it. She just hoped it was someone nice.

She scanned the golden land, grasses and shrubs blowing in a faint breeze amidst the warm light. The tower stretched up into the sky beside Elsa, massive and as overwhelming as a mountain. She didn’t see any demons closing in, but she knew they’d come, and was glad to have found a good hiding spot. She’d lay low, and wait for the creatures to pass until all that remained were the stragglers. When the chance came, Elsa would reveal herself and descend on two of them, eliminating them as quickly as possible and stealing their hearts. Her body ached still, but she was fairly sure she could handle two demons before her muscles gave out again. 

Elsa readied to pounce, but still nothing came roaring out of the dark. Where were they? She spun around, scanning for flankers, only to notice another large outcropping of rocks in the distance. It was so faint she swore it could have been her eyes playing tricks on her, with only the edges of the tower’s glow popping it against the black. Perhaps if she were lucky there’d be somewhere safe there for her team to stop at after they left the cave. Elsa could only hope that more such shelters were dotted across the plains, for without reliable cover they were wouldn’t last long. The thought made Elsa’s heart sink.

She glanced up, and found the sky still full of stars she didn’t recognize. Elsa missed her bed, missed her house and her gardens. She thought of Gerda waking her in the morning when she was small, to the smell of breakfast. She remembered the laughter of her parents, the gatherings of her family. Elsa thought of Anna, thought of everything they’d been through, and held tight to the images like a lifeline.

Movement caught Elsa’s attention from the corner of her eye. She almost lost her footing. Elsa ducked her head lower, eyes peeled, and she saw them. The horde appeared from the darkness like rats from a sewer, their cries distant and furious. They were still a mile or two out, barely dots on the horizon, but they were closing in fast.

Elsa saw no sign of Ursula. Was she staying back? Hundreds of her creatures raced towards Elsa’s location in a spread, covering a wide breadth of the plains before her. They didn’t appear to know where she and her friends were hiding; they’d be more focused in their approach otherwise, right? Elsa and ducked down into the hole, hidden from sight.

She waited. The noise grew to a roar, howls carrying far over the empty waste. Elsa felt the rumble of their tread through the rock below her like thunder through water. A minute passed, then another, and the noise only swelled. Her breaths were coming shallow, her heart tight in her chest. She hoped they weren’t smart enough to check the rocks thoroughly. If they did, she was as good as dead. 

The howling reached her. Elsa held her breath. Hundreds of bodies flew past her position, most of the horde avoiding the rock formation altogether. Dozens spilled through, through, dashing on hands and knees. Elsa closed her eyes, her heart hamming like a doorbell in her ribcage. She shook, sweat on her brow. The air was chilly, but she was so, so warm. 

A second passed, and before Elsa knew it the worst was over. Like a wave, the horde passed over the rocks. Elsa raised her head above the threshold of the stone hole. The demons in the vanguard sprinted into the distance away from her, and she let herself breath again. Still, she had her mission. The bulk of the creatures were gone, racing from sight as quickly as they’d entered it, but just as Elsa hoped there were stragglers. Some were injured, some weren’t built for long distance travel. They darted forward in threes and fours, little groups spread out over a wide berth of plains, their screams shrill. Elsa watched as one such group made their way toward the rocks. There were four in total.

The next nearest groups were hundreds of feet away, would they hear it if Elsa attacked? Elsa didn’t have time to consider, for the demons were approaching fast. She readied herself, took a breath, and prepared to spring down from her hiding spot onto the creatures with her blades frozen solid. 

The creatures approached, closer, closer. They entered the rocks, and began to weave through the formations of boulders. They entered striking range. Elsa was ready to jump when from the corner of her eye she saw the stone door of the cavern slide away, revealing Anna. Her breath caught in her throat. No, no! Anna ducked low, quiet, but she didn’t have time to hide before one of the creatures found her.

It shrieked, and Anna flinched, whirling to look at it. She staggered back, startled, hands thrown up before her. The other demons changed direction on a dime, and began to close in. Elsa whirled around, checking all of the plain that she could see without regard for staying hidden. She spotted two other groups of four changing direction and darting towards their location, but no others seemed to have heard the screams; still too many. Elsa cursed. 

She leapt into the air and dropped to the grass, rolling without losing momentum. She darted between the boulders, mind white and fatigue forgotten, until she came upon Anna dodging out of the way of the creature, a long, protruding bulge of flesh covered in teeth now extending from its mouth. Without slowing down Elsa hardened a fist into a blade and sprang forward, decapitating the creature before it could take another step. A gurgle escaped its neck, and it thudded back into the grass. 

“Elsa!” Anna stepped forward for a hug, but Elsa shook her head, eyes wild.

“More are coming! Can you fight?”

“I-I think so,” Anna stood back to back with Elsa, covering what Elsa couldn’t see. They positioned themselves in front of the door to the cavern.

Another demon appeared from between the rocks. It rushed them, lumpy hands outstretched, its mouth full of teeth opened wider than it should have been. Elsa let it close the distance, then dropped to the ground and stabbed for its abdomen. It didn’t dodge, and flinched as her blade erupted from its back. Bleeding, it clawed at her, wriggling on the blade impaling it stomach.

“Elsa! Hang on!” 

Elsa turned to see Anna taking a breath, and watched as she thrust her hand out in front of her. Elsa pulled her ice blade from the creature and rolled out of the way as a plume of every-colored fire and plasma erupted from Anna’s hand. The demon ignited. It shrieked, batting at the fire engulfing it. Elsa stood up and spun in place, letting her arm outstretch and cut the creature’s head clean from its neck. It slumped against the first, still. 

Anna crouched, clenching her flame-expelling hand by the wrist. She had it pointed at the ground, and it burned a hole through the grass and dirt below. The blaze pulsed out without stopping, just as it had when she’d faced down Ursula. 

“Anna, are you okay?”

“Y-Yeah,” the girl grunted. She clenched her fist, only to have it blow open again from the force of the blast. “I’m having a harder time than last time getting it to stop!”

“That’s okay!” Elsa tensed as the last two demons from the first group arrived at once. “Just point it at them!” 

The creatures lunged, a short skinny one and a tall muscular one. Elsa leapt to the side as Anna jerked her hand in their direction. The geyser of energy lit the demons instantly, and they caught like paper. The creatures staggered, shrieking, and Elsa finished them the same way she had the first. She flicked her blade at the grass, slinging viscera from its surface. Anna writhed on the ground, the plume of fire in her hand shooting straight up into the air. The blast had thrown her onto her back. She struggled to get back to her feet.

“Point it down!” Elsa said, “It’ll draw them to us!” 

“I know!” 

Why wasn’t it going out? She’d done it before, was she too afraid? Elsa kneeled beside her, eyes on the paths between the rocks. She listened for the tremor of running, but had a hard time hearing anything over the ignition of Anna’s fire. Elsa heard the girl panting, heaving. She was still exhausted from before. Then it hit her.

“Anna, hold your breath!”

“What?”

“The flame is directly tied to your breathing, hold your breath!”

Anna did, her cheeks puffing up as she took a deep breath and held it. Four of the creatures appeared at once, tumbling over each other to reach them. A second passed, and the flame went out. The monsters advanced. Anna let her breath out, and the flame didn’t ignite again. The creatures were upon them, claws extended and mouths open.

“Anna, get up!” 

“Fuck, I’m trying!” 

The demons lurched forward and swung at Elsa. She caught one in the neck with her own blow, spearing its throat. Another’s claw sang across her collarbone. Pain blinded her. The two remaining creatures slammed into Elsa, and she went down hard. They descended upon her, teeth bared. 

“Elsa!” 

A roar ripped through the air. It was powerful like an earthquake. The creatures stilled, their teeth buried in Elsa’s arms and chest. Something huge crashed past Elsa and the creatures were gone. They slammed against the rock on the other side of the small clearing. The shape collapsed on them, tearing their limbs from their torsos and burying its face in their abdomens. Another four creatures emerged from opposite sides of the rocks, but they too were broken where they stood as more of the shapes appeared. Elsa glanced up, and realized there were even more of them looming on the rocks. Her vision blurred.

Anna knelt beside her, putting pressure on the wound on her chest. How deep was it? Ursula’s demons cried in fear, their bodies shattering and broken. The clearing went silent. Demon corpses littered the grass, blood splatters dotting the rocks.

For the first time, Elsa got a good look at their saviors. Anna leaned over her, protective as the new demons approached. They walked on all fours even though their hands and feet appeared human. Great plumes of fur covered their bodies, and trailed down their long, serpentine spines. Long flicking tails extending behind them, ending in more fur. The largest of them approached from the crowd, and Elsa suspected they were taller than her at her full height. 

Anna audibly swallowed. Elsa hefted herself up onto her elbows, ignoring the pain singing in her body. The demon staring at them had bright orange eyes, and their face was covered in hair and scars. Their mouth looked human, but its snout and skull were distinctly feline. Of all the demons that showed up they had the most fur, bright red and tangled in a mane around their head and neck. 

“Are you unharmed?” They asked, low and booming. Elsa flinched despite herself. The demon chuckled like a rumbling storm, and smiled. “Don’t worry, you’re safe from Ursula for the time being. My name is Mufasa, and I rule these lands. Do you require shelter?”

Elsa couldn’t nod her head fast enough. Anna toppled onto her, her body giving out in relief, and Elsa fell once again onto her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I'm thinking Mal and Vanellope will get one POV segment a piece, but no more than that.


	18. Anna XII & Vanellope I

Anna slammed back the tankard of demon grog until it was pointed straight up in the air. The drink tasted like cherries left outside on a summer day. Several members of Mufasa’s pride egged her on, cheering as Anna slurped up the last drops and let the steel container drop from her hands, clattering to the wooden tabletop. The demons roared in applause, stamping their hands against the stone floor of Pride Rock. Anna slung an arm around Elsa’s waist and pulled her closer to her on the bench, nuzzling the woman’s cheek with her forehead. 

“I l’ve ya,” Anna said, “so fuckin’ m’ch, babygirl!” 

Elsa snickered, and took Anna’s head between her palms and kissed her forehead. “I love you too, sunshine.”

“No, no, l’ps!” Anna puckered, begging, and waggled her eyebrows. 

“Should you really b’ encouraging ‘er? Sh’ still totes underage,” Vanellope said.

“Odd, hearing that from you,” said Elsa. 

Vanellope cackled, and downed her own mug with a wave of her hand. The pride cheered once more, and one of them stood up on their hind legs to pour the girl another. “I’m jus’, ya kno’, watchin’ out for ma boo!” 

“Hey, don’ worry V!” Anna threw up finger guns, and winked at her intoxicated friend. “Jus’ lettin’ off th’ steam!”

“Wha? The Steam sale start’d already?”

“Just be careful,” Elsa said, drawing Anna’s attention back in. “Wouldn’t want you to make a fool of your cute self.” 

Anna glowed red, and this time it wasn’t her newfound luminescence that bore responsibility. She giggled, and wrapped both arms around Elsa’s neck. Anna couldn’t formulate a good enough reply, her words were too jumbled, too airy. Instead she closed the distance and kissed Elsa on the mouth. She flinched, but quickly settled in, taking Anna’s lower lip between her teeth and sucking.

The roar of celebration faded around them. Anna soared into the clouds, her head a warm banquet of tastes and touches and smells. She was vaguely aware of the whistles and cheers erupting from the pride as she kissed Elsa, as she felt her favorite person’s mouth on hers, and basked in her own euphoria. 

They’d survived the attack. For a scant few seconds, Anna thought she’d die protecting Elsa from Ursula’s creatures. Or she did, until Mufasa and his family showed up. They were huge, lumbering demons, almost like wildebeests or lions, their bodies a mishmash of human and animal features. Their spines snaked back so far that they were nearly twelve feet high when standing on their hind legs.

After they harvested the demon hearts from the corpses littering the clearing—two for Anna and her party, and the rest to feed Mufasa’s pride—Anna and Elsa fetched Vanellope and Malefizel, and took the demon up on his offer of shelter. They traveled single file to a large rock outcropping in the distance that Anna hadn’t quite noticed before. It looked almost like Stonehenge, but massive and jutting straight up into the sky. It must have been miles off. Thankfully, the pride had been more than willing to let Anna and her friends ride piggyback the whole way. They were beaten and tired, their bodies battered from battle, and were in no shape to weather another long pilgrimage across the plains. Anna sat in front of Elsa atop a demon named Sarabi, and was quickly lulled to sleep after they’d settled in. 

When she awoke, the train was caught in the glow of an entirely different tower, its light just as golden as the last. A conversation was in progress around her, muffled by the wind. Anna listened in, eager to catch up on what she’d missed. Elsa, still behind her, hummed and rubbed her back. 

“I bet the Queen you’d be a Lord by now, Mufasa,” Malefizel said, “looks like I owe her a favor.”

The lion demon laughed, a harsh, guttural noise, and smirked. “I didn’t want the position then, and I don’t want it now. The pride lands are enough for me, Maleficent.” 

Malefizel cackled. “How noble.” She rode with Mufasa at the head of the formation, Anna and Elsa just a step behind.

Sarabi rumbled with laughter, shaking Anna and Elsa where they sat. Elsa reached around Anna and stroked her thigh, leaning in towards her ear. “Good morning,” she said with humor in her voice. Anna blushed at the touch. She wasn’t sure how long she’d slept, but her muscles didn’t ache any less.

“Good morning yourself.” Anna let her weight settle against Elsa’s tummy. The woman laughed, and wrapped her arms around Anna’s middle, holding her tight. 

“Maleficent,” said Mufasa, “I cannot express how good it is to see you alive. I know it’s been decades, but when the news reached me that you’d been killed by Hans Westerguard, well, I was devastated.”

“If I’d known my death was going to affect you so, I’d have called sooner.” Maleficent raised an eyebrow at him, a smirk curling up her lips, “or I would, had I known where you went.”

Mufasa sighed. “Can we agree we both share the blame for our loss of contact?”

Malefizel nodded. “Acceptable.” 

“News of a dead Lord travels fast, and all the Underworld believes you gone to rest after your encounter with Westerguard. Do you plan to go after him?”

“Of course.”

“I thought as much.” Mufasa shook his head. “He ought not be a Lord, too violent. Best if you take the power back.”

“Agreed. I must get back to the Queen before he goes for her head.”

The demon lion hesitated for a moment. “Surely he and his followers are no match for Grimhilde?”

Malefizel growled. “He’s smart. She needs me.”

“Your loyalty is inspiring.”

Malefizel glared down at him, and Mufasa laughed. “Our next stop is Gothel,” she said, glancing at Anna and Elsa, her eyes narrowing, “but we need time to recoup first. Would it be terrible of me to ask that we might rest under your protection for a moment? The Sea Witch is pursuing us on Westerguard’s behalf, but I’ve lost track of her location. We’re not safe.”

Mufasa laughed. “Of course. Gothel’s wood is many miles north of here, so you’re welcome to stay as long as you need. It’ll be like old times.” He shook himself, jostling Malefizel where she sat and forcing her to grab onto his mane for support. She snarled, and batted one of his ears. “Though with that human body you’ve got now, you may need to refrain from going as hard as you used to.”

“Silence, mutt.”

Anna pulled away, nipping Elsa’s lip as she backed out of their kiss. She smirked, her mind hazy in the gloom of the dining hall. Red lanterns filled with glowing ocean water were installed along the walls, and cast the room in bright light. Vanellope stood on their table, challenging one of the larger demons to an arm wrestling contest she was almost sure to lose. 

Anna let her forehead settle and rest against Elsa’s shoulder. She sighed. She was alive, they were all alive. And for once, she and Elsa were getting close to somewhere on the same page regarding their relationship. Anna considered getting up and dancing with the crowd of lions, the band tumbling through fiery tunes on the stage, but she knew she’d fall flat on her face. She was drunk on weird demon hooch made from who knew what in a den of demons.

Malefizel had wandered off with Mufasa as soon as they’d arrived at Pride Rock, and she hadn’t seen either of them since. Were they fucking? Anna tried to figure out how that would even work, anatomically speaking. She hoped they weren’t, or she’d need to have even more stern words with Malefizel about Rapunzel’s bodily autonomy.

“Hey, babygirl,” Elsa said, lifting Anna’s chin with her finger, “are you okay?”

“M’ fine. Jus’. Stron’ hoosh.” She hiccupped, and slapped a hand over her mouth in embarrassment. “Shouldn’ bein’ a demon now m’ke me better at alcoho’?” 

“Anna, that hooch was made for demons by other demons.”

Anna shook her head. “Then ho’ ‘s Van’llope handlin’ h’rself so well?” The girl in question was collapsed on the floor, laughing at top volume. She’d been flung five feet in the air during her arm wrestling contest, but was quickly getting back to her feet for more. Vanellope was a third the size of the demon she was challenging, and every member of the pride watching was thrilled with her enthusiasm.

Elsa shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.” 

“S’fair.”

Anna watched as Vanellope pretended to challenge the demon to a rematch, only to fling herself at their face and begin wrestling them to the ground. The demon played along, laughing and pretending to be dying. It was strange and heartening to see her fit in so well.

Anna felt a tug on her sleeve. She turned around, and came face to face with two small, childish looking demons. They resembled the other members of the pride, but their proportions were stunted as if they were still growing into their skins. One was a bright, vibrant orange, while the other appeared cream-colored, even silvery. 

“Hey,” said the orange one, “Dad said you fought off Ursula’s horde on your own! Is that true?” Their companion nodded along, rapt with attention.

Anna sat up, straightening her back as best she could. Elsa flashed her a small smile. “Wha’? Dad?” Anna said.

“Yeah! You know, Mufasa?” said the lighter child, “I’m Nala, and this is my brother Simba!”

Anna nodded along, her previous musings on demon reproduction crashing back to the forefront of her thoughts. “I mean, I gu’ss?” Anna wished she wasn’t slurring-her-words-drunk, not if she was going to be talking to kids. “We beat l’ke, wha’, Elsa how man’ was it?” Anna turned to see her love struggling to suppress giggles.

Elsa’s voice cracked as she spoke. “I think five or six? Maybe?” Her eyes were topped to the brim with amusement. Anna glowered at her. 

“Yeah, ‘bout that many.” The cubs continued to stare at Anna, so she delved into a full recounting of the fight. She added flourish where it was appropriate, and eventually found herself gesticulating in the air and doing character voices for each of the creatures she and Elsa slew. 

“Whoa, that’s so cool!” Simba said, hopping up and down. 

“Yeah!” Nala echoed, “Your magic sounds amazing! I have magic but Simba doesn’t, and he’s really insecure about it!” 

“Hey!”

“Will you train us sometime?”

Elsa grinned, and leaned over her seat on the bench to speak. Anna followed, her hand finding its way around Elsa’s waist again. “Now, now,” she said, “Just because you don’t have magic doesn’t mean you’re not amazing.” 

“Do you have magic?” Simba asked.

Elsa glanced away. “Not really. I freeze my body and the air directly around it, but that’s more a function of biology.” She nuzzled her head against Anna’s temple, “but seeing as Anna here is more magical but spent most of the fight flat on her back, I think I’m doing okay.”

Anna shot her a look, but Elsa raised her eyebrows and looked off into the crowd, a smile playing over her lips. “See, I told you magic isn’t everything!” Simba said, cocking his head at his sister.

“Well, yeah!” Nala giggled, and poked Simba in the side. He squealed, and lurched back. “But it still makes me stronger than you!”

“Not for long!” Simba launched himself at her, and the two cubs went tumbling off into the bustle of the hall, vanishing from sight in a tangle of laughter. 

Anna giggled, and rubbed Elsa’s side affectionately. “K’ds,” she said as she reached up to crack her neck. 

Elsa smiled, and leaned down to push her horned head up into the crook of Anna’s neck. She hummed, a hand massaging the spot just over Anna’s heart. “Kids, indeed,” she said, her voice low, “have you ever thought about having children?”

Anna flinched. The alcohol returned with a vengeance, and her head swam. “Uh, w’ll, I mean,” she stuttered, grasping for words. More than anything, she wanted to say ‘maybe if it was with you,’ but somehow she didn’t think that was what Elsa needed to hear. “Maybe?” She forced a laugh, and tugged Elsa tighter against her side. “They’re so cute. “Wha’ ‘bout you?” 

Anna couldn’t see Elsa’s expression, and didn’t dare move to get a better look. “Sometimes,” she said, “I-I like the idea of a family.” 

Anna hummed in acknowledgement. She knew she was too far gone to really have this conversation. “I d’ too.” She leaned back, and let the energy of the room wash over her. “We, uh, wouldn’t need k’ds t’ have a fam’ly, though. You kno’?”

Elsa was silent, and Anna began to fear she’d said something wrong. Then the woman giggled, and repositioned until she’d found Anna’s face. Slowly, she moved a hand up to cover her mouth, and Anna grew bright red. “Why Anna,” Elsa said, “I didn’t say anything about us having kids. I was being hypothetical.” 

Anna stammered, and shook her head. “I-I, well, you!” She crossed her arms in a huff. “No’ fair! I’m drunk!”

Elsa laughed, and took Anna’s cheeks in her hands to kiss her again. The touch was warm, and so full of love. Anna could sink into it and disappear. Elsa broke away first, and wiped a tear from one eye. “I love you,” she said. 

Anna blinked. “I l’ve you too, Elsa!”

Elsa snorted. “I don’t mean to bring up such a thing when you’re inebriated.” Had Elsa even had a drink? Anna couldn’t remember. 

“No, no!” Anna shook her head, “I mean, l’ke, if y’u wan’ to talk about kids, like, I mean, we can?”

Elsa rubbed Anna’s back. “Dear, you’re 16.” She blushed, red reaching the tops of her cheeks. “We can talk about that later.” Her eyes darted away. “I-I mean, if you want to.”

Anna smiled, and nodded. “For sure.”

“But, like, later.”

“Defs.”

Did Anna even want children? She was too full of alcohol to really consider the question. It hadn’t been part of her dream of a life with Elsa, but she couldn’t imagine why it couldn’t be if they wanted to. 

“Hey,” she said, leaning into Elsa, “do y’ think Mal and Mufasa are fuckin’?”

Elsa raised an eyebrow. “Where’d that come from?”

“They seem all,” she waved her hands, “schmoozy.”

“They’re old friends.”

“Well ye’h, but so are me ‘n V, and ever’one thinks we fuckin’.”

Elsa giggled. “True.” She opened her mouth to speak, but let the pause linger for a moment first. “Are you though?”

“Wha?”

“You and Vanellope? Fucking?”

Anna leaned back, her eyebrows shooting up. “No! Is, are you bothered? By l’ke, us? We’re touchy.”

“Not at all,” Elsa smiled, and took Anna’s hand between her own, “I was just curious. It wouldn’t bother me if you were, though.”

Anna snickered. “Ho’ progressive.” Sure, she kissed Vanellope sometimes, but their relationship wasn’t sexual. Even if she intentionally led others to believe it was, sometimes. Just for fun.

“I’m serious. You can have sex with her if you want.”

Anna leaned in and touched her nose to Elsa’s. “Ohh? Wh’ Elsa,” she said, slurring her words even more for emphasis, “y’ seem really intent o’ this, do you wan’ t’ watch or somethin’?”

Elsa blushed, and rolled her eyes. “A-As long as you know you’re mine, I don’t need exclusivity.”

“Ohh!” Anna kissed Elsa on each cheek, snickering, “Yours, huh? I’m y’urs?” 

“Er, uh, aha, did I say that out loud?” Had Elsa been drinking after all? “I don’t, well, want to sound possessive, I just, you know!”

Anna found her lips, and wrapped her hands around the woman’s neck. “No, it’s good,” she said against Elsa’s mouth, “I like it.” It reminded Anna of how Elsa spoke to her when she was in heat, and frankly, nothing could be hotter than that. Probably. Actually, what if they were both in heat? Did that happen? She would find a way to make that happen.

Elsa squeaked, wiggling under Anna’s touch. The biggest, dopiest smile spread out over her face, and Anna felt her heart ignite with warmth.

A booming voice called out from behind them, drawing their attention. Mufasa stood side by side with Malefizel just inside the door to the hall perched on his back legs with his arms outstretched. “My family!” He called, his gaze scanning the crowd, “My Pride! Are you well?”

A roar engulfed the room, and Anna had to cover her ears with her hands. It was something of a challenge, for the bottoms of her horns made it hard to get to the tops of her ears. Her five tails flicked behind her, waving in unison to the energy of the crowd.

Mufasa’s arms dropped to his sides, and he smiled. “Tonight we are joined by the Lord Maleficent, guardian of Earth!” Another roar. Did they know she wasn’t a Lord anymore? “I thought her dead, but here she stands before us, alive though somewhat changed. Smaller, even.” A laugh, and Anna heard Vanellope yelling chants from somewhere in the mass of bodies. Mufasa glanced at Malefizel, and even from a distance Anna could see the unmistakable fondness in his smile. “I beseech you all to make her and her companions feel welcome.” He reached for a stray tankard on one of the benches and raised it into the air. “To family!”

“To family and honor!” Came the return cry. The celebration resumed as Mufasa dropped back down onto all fours and meandered through the party towards Anna and Elsa, greeting people as he went. Anna looked back towards the door, but Malefizel was already gone. “Enjoying the festivities?” Mufasa asked as he approached the two women. 

“Yes, very much. Thank you for your hospitality,” Elsa said. 

Anna nodded one too many times, and didn’t dare speak. She didn’t want to drunkenly embarrass herself in front of the lion king.

“I’ve had a room prepared for you,” Mufasa went on, sitting back on his haunches, “I hope it was okay that I set aside one room for you both? Maleficent mentioned you might take issue with that, but from what I’ve seen just this evening I begged to differ.” 

Anna swallowed, and glanced at Elsa. They hadn’t really shared a bed since their first night together. They’d slept together, of course, but it hadn’t quite been the same. Anna’s nerves quelled when she saw that Elsa was smiling, and before she knew it her face was tomato red again. God, she needed to get sober. “That was very considerate of you,” Elsa said, “I’m sure it will be lovely.”

Mufasa growled in satisfaction. “If you’re ready to turn in, I could show you your room now. Otherwise, I’m sure Sarabi would be happy to help out later if you’d like to enjoy more drink and cheer.”

Elsa kissed Anna’s forehead. “How are you feeling, sweetie? Ready for bed?” 

Anna thought about sticking it out until Vanellope was unconscious on the ground, but her own eyes were glazing over without her noticing. Vanellope would be fine. Probably. “Sounds good t’ me,” she said. Mufasa chuckled as Anna leaned on Elsa for support. Together, they made their way from the chamber and into the corridor just steps behind their host. 

Their room was spacious. It was one of a long row of chambers cut into the inside of Pride Rock, the whole of which Anna realized was hollow. There was no window, with the only light emanating from the lamps of glowing red sea water that hung from the walls. An intricate brown and orange carpet lay over the floor. At the side of the room, squished against the stone wall, a single nightstand stood next to the largest bed Anna had ever seen. It was clearly made with larger demons in mind, for she doubted two of her end to end would reach all the way from the headboard to the foot railing. 

Anna collapsed onto the soft cloud, burying her face in the blankets. It smelled of licorice, and of old buildings. The room was just warm enough to be comfortable, and Anna wondered how climate control worked inside a giant rock. Maybe they had a demon with air conditioning magic. 

Another weight settled onto the mattress, and Anna looked up to see Elsa smiling down at her. “Hey, you,” she said.

Anna blushed, and did her best to return the smile. “Hey.”

“I know I agreed for both of us earlier, perhaps a bit out of turn, but I want to make sure you’re okay with this.” She tinted pink, “sleeping together, I mean.”

Anna nodded into the cushion. “Yup, all good!” Heat burned between her legs, but she did her best to ignore it. She definitely wasn’t sober enough to consent. 

“Okay.” Elsa looked between the door and the lanterns, anywhere but at Anna. “This is going to be sound crass, but is it alright if I sleep in my underwear?” Anna went rigid, and met Elsa’s eyes. The woman glanced away again, rubbing her hands together. “I mean, well, we only have one set of clothes each, so, I figured…”

Anna was too drunk for this shit. She lurched up on her hands, and crawled across the bed to where Elsa sat. Anna took her face in her hands and kissed her. She sucked Elsa’s lip into her mouth just as she had before, careful not to puncture the skin with her new incisors. Her hands found Elsa’s hips, holding her tight. Elsa moaned into her mouth, and gripped Anna’s back with her claws.

“Anna,” Elsa said, writhing in her clothes like they were chains, “Anna, I’m, I don’t,”

“I know.” Neither of them were ready, not really. But fuck, Elsa was delicious. “But let’s a’ least get th’se clothes off you.” With shaking fingers, Anna reached down to Elsa’s knees and grabbed the fabric of the skirt in her hands, then lifted it up and over the woman’s head. When she was done, Anna kicked out of her pants and shirt, then sat down in front of Elsa once more.

They were both naked down to their panties. Neither of them had been wearing bras when Hans attacked, which was fortunate for Anna’s would have no doubt been destroyed in her demon transformation, and that shit’s expensive. Wow, Anna thought, she was going to need to completely redo her wardrobe. 

She did her best not to ogle too much, but Elsa’s body was a work of art. Beautiful and smooth, with scars drawing lines in multiple spots. Powerful. Her knickers were ice blue and nearly matched her skin color, because of course they did. 

Anna pulled Elsa down with her, lifting the blankets for them both to slide in. When they were both settled she drew the fabrics over their shoulders and tugged Elsa in close by her waist. She squeaked, and Anna smiled. 

“There,” Anna said, “b’tter?”

Even in the red light Elsa’s face looked flushed. “Yes.”

“Good.” She wiggled, rubbing her nose against Elsa’s. “No sex y’t, right?”

“R-right.” 

Anna purred, and her eyes went wide. Purr, purr! She sounded just like a cat, and startled herself so bad that Elsa had to back away a few inches. She laughed, a hand covering her mouth as Anna adjusted to the rumbling in her throat. She felt like she’d swallowed a vibrator. “Hol’ sh’t,” she said, “I’m a catgirl.”

Elsa scooted in closer, and wrapped her arms around Anna’s shoulders. “I love it. You’re my adorable kitty.”

“Fuck yeah I’m yo’r kitty.” Anna found Elsa’s lips and peppered them with kisses. Her hands grabbed Elsa’s hips, her thumbs rubbing where the bones protruded. 

Elsa smirked. “You know I’d love to have sex with you again,” she said. Anna’s cock twitched in her underwear. Her five tails wagged behind her, digging at the blankets. “but not yet.” Elsa frowned, and cast her eyes down. “I’m sorry.”

“S’okay, Elsa.” Anna kissed her again. “I love you. When’ver you’re r’dy. Though ‘f you wan’, I will defs suck you off righ’ the fuck now, fo’ the record.”

Elsa reddened, and writhed where she lay. She bit her lower lip, and Anna was nearly undone. “I-I know. Another time.” 

Anna nodded. “Yeah.” She giggled, “is th’s wha’ tryin’ looks like?”

Elsa pecked her nose. “I suppose so.”

“I’m hella dr’nk, but you gotta tell m’ if I do somethin’ you don’t want.” Anna drew her lips together in a pout. “Got it?” 

“I know. Same for you.”

“Yup!” 

It didn’t take much for Anna to begin dozing off. Sleep washed over her like waves, pulling her down into the dark warmth. Her muscles ached, her bones felt sore. The past 48 hours had been the most physically and emotionally taxing of her life, and she was still coming to terms with everything that had happened. But that, too, she was too tipsy to process. It could wait.

She considered wandering out into the hall to find a bathroom to take the edge off her libido, but moving sounded like far too much work. She tangled her limbs with Elsa’s, their noses inches apart. A smile on her cracked lips, Anna slept.

 

-o-

 

Vanellope stood on the edge of Pride Rock, and stared out over the infinite sea of grass. The wind tousled her hair, but it couldn’t get any more tangled. She felt more exhausted than she ever had before; stealing cars and participating in illegal street races with rich white teenagers was nothing compared to the raw soreness in her muscles. Her bones ached like cracks along a fault line while her head hammered hard enough that she was afraid she might pass out.

Okay, part of that was the hangover. Her head hurt like a fresh murder, and her ears were still buzzing from the sweet demon party the night prior. Or at least, it felt like last night. The bitch of a hell she found herself in didn’t seem to be a fan of solar cycles. 

Held tight in Vanellope’s left hand was one of the demon hearts Elsa recovered from her ambush. On her right, sitting with her big, fluffy cat feet kicking over the cliff, was Anna. Her oldest friend. Her only friend? The one person she really trusted in the world, the only person she could let her guard down around. Vanellope loved her. It wasn’t a feeling she necessarily felt the need to define; Anna was her most important person, and the details didn’t seem to matter. She wanted to be in Anna’s life, share joys, and go on adventures. Was that what people considered romance to be? She wasn’t quite sure.

Vanellope felt an odd feeling as she stood on that cliff looking out towards the glowing towers. She saw first-hand the toll that turning took on Anna, saw the creatures she might become, but strangely her heart was at peace. Shouldn’t she be horrified by the prospect of becoming a demon? She’d be living living parallel to human society and surviving off the hearts of others. 

She didn’t even have a choice in the matter. She hadn’t eaten in nearly two days, and her stomach cried in anguish. In a world with no sun, she knew her chances of finding something edible were slim. The bathtub demon grog had helped, but if Vanellope didn’t turn soon, she suspected she’d starve. The right to choose was stripped from her.

So why didn’t turning bother her more? She’d been scared practically the whole time she’d been in the Underworld: first with Rapunzel and Maleficent, and then with Ursula. Terrified, shaking. She hid it pretty well, keeping her anxiety under the always reliable lock and key of humor. Not once, though, did that fear stem from her own fate. She could become like Ursula, she realized, or like Hans, but it didn’t bother her. Demonhood was a challenge, something carnal and violent, almost like racing. 

Maybe the idea of turning bothered her weeks ago, back when she first learned of demons. But ever since, and especially since the last night when she’d partied and drank with a horde of demon lions that made her feel more at home and included than anywhere else before, Vanellope sensed she was walking towards fate. Like it or not, she was ready.

Vanellope raised the heart to her nose and sniffed. She crinkled her nose. “Ugh, it had to be hearts.”

Anna glanced her way, a smile on her lips. “Done mulling it over?” 

‘Think so.” 

“Great.” Anna leapt to her feet and ushered Vanellope away from the cliff. Once they were a safe distance from the edges, Anna beckoned for her to sit down. “It’s gonna be gross,” she said, “like eating feet.”

“Oh yeah, fuck, I love me some feet.” Vanellope gazed erotically at Anna’s toes, and made a gagging sound for emphasis. “Not that I’m shaming feet people.”

Anna giggled, and waggled her fluffy pads in the air. “You might have like, a vision when you eat it?”

“On a scale of Age of Ultron to Eraser Head, how much of a vision?” 

Anna clicked her tongue. “Like, 2001: A Space Odyssey.” 

Vanellope scowled. “Boo,” she said, “so fucking overrated.”

“I made no promises about the cinematic quality of your vision.”

“Listen, Linda.” Anna snickered, and crossed her legs on the ground. Vanellope glared at the flesh in her hands. It was dry, and leathery like a fruit roll up. “Is it weird that I have basically no reservations about ditching my own humanity?” Vanellope found Anna’s gaze.

Anna looked down at the lump of meat, and grunted. “I dunno. I mean, I did, but it certainly didn’t last.”

“Demon mommy poontang will do that.”

“Hush.”

Vanellope cocked her head, and grit her teeth. “I don’t get the swappy powers, right? That’s just Elsa?”

Anna nodded. “Elsa can change between her human and demon forms because she’s a half-blood. You’d be full, like me, so no swappy.” 

Vanellope chuckled. So she wouldn’t be able to blend in again, either. Images of failing at arm wrestling flashed through her mind. “Like, it’s fucked up. Shouldn’t I be mortified of possibly turning into a hideous goo monster?”

Anna sighed, and wrung her hands together. Had she picked that up from Elsa? “I chose not to think about that before deciding,” she said. 

The wind picked up, and Anna’s scent filled Vanellope’s nose. The woods, fire. Something earthen, with a twinge of chill. So much like how she used to smell, and yet completely new.

“I’m terrified, Anna.” Vanellope squeezed the heart in her fingers. She thought of Anna dying, thought of Maleficent abusing Rapunzel’s body, thought of Ursula. All those things scared here, but that wasn’t entirely the issue. “But it’s not because I’m going to become a monster.” She found Anna’s gaze and held it. “It’s because I’m afraid we’re not gonna make it out of this alive.”

Anna grimaced, and closed her eyes for a moment. “Same, but we’ve gotta. We’re gonna go on inhuman adventures together, and meet all the other demons who live on Earth.”

“Yeah.” The tops of the lighthouses were obscured by incoming clouds, and Vanellope wondered suddenly whether it could rain in the Underworld. There was something inside her, a spark of thunder, that was thrilled about getting to find out. The demon world was brutal, but it was also challenging, and something about that aspect made Vanellope excited to see more of it despite the danger. It was a thrill, and it made her blood boil, which scared her most of all. 

Still, she had no choice. It was demonhood or death. “Anna?” Vanellope said, smiling that dopey smile of hers. “I love you.”

Anna took Vanellope’s free hand in her own. “I love you too, V.”

The wind picked up over the pridelands as Vanellope brought the heart to her mouth and bit down. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t good. Channeling her inner stubborn elephant, she chewed, swallowed, and dove back in for another piece. Bit by bit, the flesh disappeared from her hands. Rip, rip, rip. Purple blood stained her hands. She felt different. The heart wasn’t even gone yet but Vanellope found herself looking at a star. Was it Earth’s sun? She couldn’t tell. A rush of sky flooded past and her orientation changed, and Vanellope found herself at the bottom of the ocean, her bones shattering under the pressure. She opened her mouth to scream, but before any sound could escape her she was on a pink hill adorned with giant candy canes. The sun was warm. Another flash. She stood on a foreign planet, the sky thick with smog. Thousands of lights—eyes—watched her from a tower. Another. An apartment building, two women crying on a couch. Seattle at midnight, a vast shape lumbering from the water. A candle, always there for her. Light.

Vanellope opened her eyes. She was flat on her back, the air gone from her lungs. She sucked in oxygen with a start, gasping as she raised a hand to her mouth. Only, it wasn’t her hand, not as she’d known it. Her heart hammered in her chest.

Where she once had skin Vanellope found thin, flexible plates of teal colored exoskeleton. They extended over her hand, with junctures like breaks in medieval armor that allowed her fingers to move freely. Her palms were about the same as before, save the color and her newfound talons.

Vanellope threw herself into a sitting position, ignoring the head rush. She did her best to catch her breath, to ignore her trembling. Anna kneeled beside her, all five her tails swinging behind her. Her mouth hung open. 

“Wha--?” Vanellope began to ask, but clamped her mouth shut at the sound of her own voice. It was higher, shriller, with an undertone of clicks marking her syllables. She reached up to touch her face, and found that her cheeks and mouth at least were still soft skin.

“V, don’t freak,” Anna said, raising her hands in front of her, “but you’re a sexy bug lady.”

“Holy fuck, really?” Vanellope leapt to her feet, and spun around. Her heart felt like a gong running overtime. She stood taller; Her clothes were tight, but not torn, and she took no time in stripping down to her underwear. The flexible protective plates on her hands and arms extended all the way down her body in a pattern that left her movement unrestricted, with only her face, neck, breasts, and the middle of her stomach uncovered. Tentatively, Vanellope slipped a hand down the front of her panties to check if anything had changed, but it hadn’t.

Her skin was the same color as her hoodie, her exoskeleton a shade darker. Talons replaced her fingernails. Two prehensile antennae jutted from her forehead, and Vanellope swore she had a better sense of spatial awareness as a result. She reached a finger into her mouth and found sharp teeth and a truly massive tongue. Her hair had grown, and spilled out from behind three insect-like horns that jutted back and out from her skill. She felt the sides of her face, and found blade-like mandibles that could slide down over her mouth when she willed them to.

“Shit,” she said. Her feet were, to her amusement, still the same shape. Why had Anna and Elsa gotten furry-ass anthro feet but she didn’t?

“I’ll say.” Anna stepped forward and drew a finger over the plating on Vanellope’s shoulder. “How do you feel?” It changed color under her tongue, and Vanellope realized she was iridescent. 

“Honestly? Not that different. A little more articulated than before.” Her heart was slowing, and for a second she wondered whether she still had human bones inside her. Vanellope tried a high kick, and found that she could nearly do the splits vertically. Euphoria spilled from her heart and filled her chest; a wicked grin split her face.

“Probs. Demons be like that,” Anna said.

“Fair.” Vanellope hopped up and down, each bounce carrying her another foot higher in the air. She had so much to try out. Could she run fast like Anna and Elsa? Did she have magic? “Want to go show the fam?”

“Hell yeah!” Anna raised her hand for a high five, and Vanellope clapped it. The sensation felt different. The vibrations of the impact reverberated through her armor instead of through her bone like it used to.

“I’m glad you didn’t become a freaky inside out slime demon.”

“As if there was ever any doubt.” 

Anna laughed, and before Vanellope could register what was happening she was scooping her up into a hug. “Seriously,” she said. 

Vanellope giggled, and kissed Anna’s forearm. “I know. Now let’s go!” 

“Okay, jeez!” Anna let her go, and Vanellope took a step towards the entrance to the Rock.

Her foot never landed. Instead, Vanellope she saw her vision blur, and in a second she was already on her butt in front of the door. “Fuck! What was that?” It was like the whole world sped up, but only she moved.

Anna sprinted after her. “V!” She cried, delight clear in her voice, “you can fucking teleport!”

Vanellope balked. Teleport? She’d wanted to go to the door, she realized, and she’d appeared there. What other word for there was it? She looked at her hands, and the stupidest grin split across her lips. 

“There was this little green trail of energy,” Anna said as she slowed on her approach, “what do you think it was?” She laughed. “Shit, what cool magic! Now we gotta tell Elsa, she’ll be thrilled!” 

“Anna.” Vanellope got to her feet, and gripped Anna’s shoulders in her hands.

“What?” Vanellope stared into her eyes, but the girl couldn’t stop smiling. 

“You know what this means?”

“Um, your new body doesn’t suck and we have a way better chance of making it through this?”

“Yes, but also.” Vanellope leaned in. “Do you wanna help me prank some lion demons?” Anna blinked, and a smirk crawled over her lips. She nodded, and they bumped fists.


	19. Bonus - Demon Form Illustrations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wanting to draw the girls for ages, and now that they've all got demon forms it was about time.  
> These aren't canon, strictly speaking? Like, if you envisioned them differently, that's great, and I encourage you to stick with that. But this is how I interpret them when I run the descriptions I wrote through my drawing hand. Like, I tried to draw them creepy! I did! It's Arendelle GOTHIC, but they all ended up cute as heck. Fuck. 
> 
> Anyways, lemme know in the comments if I should never post something like this again in the middle of a multi chaptered fanfic.  
> But here's some art! Does it count as fanart if I also wrote the fic? I dunno.
> 
> They're all drawn in tasteful, like, exercise wear? Or something? It's to put emphasis on their demon forms and show more of what the designs look like without like, drawing them all naked, which I didn't wanna do.
> 
> (Of course all the protagonists turn into cute, attractive demons while everyone else varies from basically human to literal eldritch abominations. Sigh)
> 
> Also, I drew Elsa with hair because that shits classic. Technically at this point in the story she’s still growing it all back after Hans blasted her in chapter 9.
> 
> Edit: if y’all like the arts, I post all my draw stuff to my insta if that’s your jam: https://www.instagram.com/rhaeluna (pssst there’s Elsanna psst)

  


	20. Elsa VIII & Maleficent II

Elsa at Anna’s side with a warm, simmering feeling in her belly. It tingled like a star waiting to be born. She watched Anna, the way she was moving her hands, the intake of her breath, and felt the weight of love fill her heart.

Elsa fell so easily back into the light touches, the kissing. When she imagined them trying at a real relationship somehow she’d through it would be slower. Instead, they were sharing a bed and making out in the corners of hallways like teenagers. It was a thrill, a concoction of feeling boiling up and into her head. Elsa felt drunk. They were probably going to die, right? What did she have to lose by taking Anna as her own? Especially since demons were the last people who would ever give her shit about social responsibility or age gaps. 

Elsa wasn’t quite ready for sex again, the guilt still to potent, but every step they’d taken so far was a step in the right direction. She was living her dream, in a way, even in the darkness of the Underworld. It was far easier than she’d imagined it being. In the face of death, the shame and self-loathing seemed to melt away like relics belonging to another world entirely. 

Still, they had a world to save. Elsa watched with her hands linked in front of her as Anna crouched into a stance and let out a deep breath. A plume of flame erupted from her right hand. It shined every color, reds and greens and yellows, all dancing as one in a vortex of light and energy. Anna shuddered, and steadied herself, then took another breath. The fire went out, gone as quick as it came. 

“Yes! Anna, that was wonderful!” Elsa clapped her hands, and resisted the urge to run forward and draw her love into a tight hug. She hoped the red tint of the water lanterns hid her blush from the crowd. 

Anna righted herself and smiled, sweat pooling on her cheeks and forehead. “I got it to stop that time!” she said.

“And it was excellent!” Elsa giggled, and allowed a blush to crawl up her cheeks. “I’m proud of you.” The progress she’d made in such a short time was amazing. When in the right mindset Anna’s powers seemed so intuitive and natural, almost like Elsa’s own sixth sense. 

Anna glanced away. She scratched her neck, unable to suppress a grin. “I wouldn’t have gotten this far without a good teacher.”

It was so hard not to kiss her. In any other situation Elsa would, but she got the impression that such affections wouldn’t be as celebrated as they had been 24 hours earlier at the arrival party. A dozen pride members lounged about the room on makeshift sofas like cats, watching the training. A few meters away Elsa could hear Malefizel chastising Vanellope as she attempted to impart the same lessons she’d taught Elsa nearly a decade ago. 

Elsa turned around to see Vanellope blipping back and forth on the sparring floor, a trail of spotty green energy following her like an ethereal tail. Her hair had exploded to new lengths after her transformation, so she’d taken to tying it up into a long, heavy ponytail. “Look! I did it twice!” She blipped a few more times, landing each teleport in a different pose.

“Yes, that’s good,” Malefizel said, her arms crossed and her chin high. “But you’re not hearing me. You need to isolate the feeling that allows your magic to blossom. Otherwise, how are you to use it in a fight with enemies baring down on you?”

“Pshaw, watch!” Vanellope lunged forward but her body glitched in space, and she didn’t warp. She’d put herself off balance, and without the magic to carry her, she fell tummy-first down onto the mat. “Oof!”

“See? Listen when I speak.” Malefizel tutted, and shook her head. 

“Right, right.” Vanellope scowled, and got back to her feet. 

Malefizel cocked her head, and Elsa could hear the frustration in her voice as she spoke. “I’m loathe to admit it, but you did just manage to teleport a few times there at once.” Her voice dropped an octave, and broke with strain. “That was…good. Try that again, but be more aware of what’s happening inside yourself.” 

A smug grin spread over Vanellope’s face, and her antennae bobbed slightly. “Aye aye, captain ma’am!” she said in a sing-song voice. 

“Do not push it.”

It was strange to see them engaging in a functional dialogue. Elsa suspected it might have something to do with the prank Vanellope pulled: Malefizel had been in a meeting with Mufasa to discuss the journey to Gothel’s wood, only to be disrupted when the girl showed up and dumped a bucket of green-colored spring water over the lion king’s head. As Anna told it, Vanellope had blipped into the room and let the bucket fly, but as she tried to blip back out her magic shorted and she went toppling into Mufasa’s chest instead. At that point in the story Elsa began to think she might need to fear for her life, but Anna reassured her that both Malefizel and Mufasa had gotten quite a kick out of Vanellope’s slip up. When asked, Anna insisted she had nothing to do with the incident, but Elsa knew better. Why had they made the water green, anyways?

She turned her attention back to Anna, smiling. “Shall we try making it bigger?” She gestured her hands in the motion her love had used to conjure the flame. Anna smirked, and Elsa realized what she’d said only after the words finished leaving her mouth. Her hand covered her mouth as Anna’s eyebrows shot up. 

“Bigger, huh?” Anna wiggled her hips. 

“Yeah!” A cry came from the crowd of onlookers; Elsa turned to see it was Simba, his fists pumping in the air and cheering. Nala sat next to him on the mat, her eyes following Vanellope as she attempted to teleport again. “Make it bigger!” called the cub. Anna smirked as Elsa glowered, and coughed into her hand. 

“Um, I mean, try both hands,” Elsa said. Anna opened her mouth to speak, but Elsa cut her off. “Ah, ah, no. Try shooting fire from both hands.” Her cheeks were pink, but she did her best to ignore it. “You know what I’m saying.” 

Anna snickered, and steadied herself. She took a deep breath. Plumes of magic flame erupted from both of her hands and reached the ceiling, where the rock began to liquefy. Simba cried in delight at Anna’s display.

Elsa grinned. Her Anna. Her brilliant, amazing Anna. “Wonderful! Now put them out!”

“Hold on, I want to try something!”

Elsa blinked. She stepped back, bouncing on the tips of her toes. “Go for it!” She cheered, throwing her hands in the air. 

Anna furrowed her brow. The pyres shortened, condensed in her hands. Elsa felt the heat from far away as the energy became more concentrated, and startled when Anna crouched and leapt ten feet into the air into the air. The girl kicked out her legs on the downward arc. Elsa’s eyes went wide as jets of rainbow fire shot from the soles of her feet. For a moment, it looked as if Anna might stay there in the air, hovering and balancing on the four jets of fire, but she shook and tumbled. Anna went spinning through the air and collided in to the ground with a loud smack. The jets sputtered, and went out.

Simba and Nala cheered from the side, clapping. Elsa dashed forward and kneeled down, lifting Anna into a sitting position. “Anna!”

“Holy shit, girlie!” Vanellope yelled from across the mat, “that was amazing!” Vanelloped successfully blipped out of the way as Malefizel swatted at her, startling them both. Anna lifted a hand in a thumbs up at Vanellope, a, smile on her lips. 

“Anna, you could have been hurt!” Elsa said.

“I mean, yeah, but look! I almost flew!”

Elsa huffed. She had, and it was incredible. Even if Anna had hit the wall at 60 mph she would likely have been fine, but Elsa couldn’t help but worry as her experiments with her flame became more dangerous. “Be more careful next time.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Anna smiled, and leaned in to kiss Elsa on the lips. She squeaked, and Anna cackled. “It’s a promise!” The girl leapt to her feet and snapped her fingers; a plume of energy puffed into existence. She waved her hand and the plume became a sword for a moment, then returned to its original shape.

Elsa sighed, and stood up. She heard Nala and Simba giggled from behind her. “Your ingenuity is amazing,” she said, a small smile playing on her lips. “Keep at it, you beautiful firestarter.”

Anna blushed, and the small fire in her hand burst out into a pyre. She yelped and held her breath, snuffing it out. 

Elsa snickered. “I’m glad you have that as a backup,” she said, “in case you panic and can’t level your breathing in time to control it.” Would putting her in a gag have the same effect? Elsa’s cock twitched under her dress. 

“Me too, though it does raise questions about the applicability of my magic in space. Or like, vacuums in general.” 

Elsa cocked her head. “Space?”

“Hey, you never know.” 

“Space, space!” Vanellope yelled at Anna, “Let’s go to space!” 

Malefizel growled, and took another jab at Vanellope, only for her to teleport once more out of her striking range. “Why is it that your magic only works when you’re being annoying?” She said.

Vanellope posed on one foot, her other leg in the air like a ballerina. “Maybe that’s just the state I need to be in!”

“Please, no.”

Their banter was an unexpected delight, as was Vanellope’s new form. She maintained a human shape, which meant the basics of combat would still apply to her. Elsa wasn’t sure how she and Malefizel would have trained the girl had she ended up with six lumbering spider arms and a praying mantis abdomen. Her teleportation powers opened up many possibilities that Elsa was excited to capitalize on, as well. The first thing Elsa wanted to try after Vanellope gained control of it was to see whether she could teleport passengers. If they could chain together, possibly hold hands, they could blip across the plains faster than they could run. 

Anna stretched her arms, and threw two jabs out in front of her. Energy burst forth in flame, then dissipated in a flourish. “It’s my breathing, yeah,” she said, “but it’s also like, the universe? I think?”

Elsa nodded. “Magic is like that, or so I’ve heard.” Anna’s experience didn’t sound much like her own, and she was starting to wonder whether her abilities counted as magic at all. What was her ice, her sixth sense, really? They’d been a part of her for her entire life, and now they seemed to alien. 

“When it works, I feel connected to galaxies and stuff. Stars, you know?” Anna waved her hands in a spiral, and a tongue of plasma formed the swirl of the Milky Way between her palms. 

Elsa felt a pang of jealously spark in her lungs, but allowed it to settle and dissipate. She took a deep breath. Anna was amazing, and that was the most important thing. They all had something to contribute; they were all needed. “I think so.”

“I got that too!” Vanellope called out as she blipped back from Malefizel firing off two roundhouse kicks at her head. Malefizel landed on two feet, but had to throw her one unbroken hand out to the side to catch her balance. “You cool?” Vanellope asked her. 

“Fine. The balance on this body is wrong.” Malefizel grunted, and sprang forward. Her hand and feet sang through the air as she spun forward like a top and landed in a low stance. “Especially with this defective arm.” Vanellope, Simba, and Nala clapped for her as she finished her display. Malefizel snarled at them, and dove again for Vanellope.

In a way, it was peaceful. Their bodies had returned to something resembling full battery, and Elsa’s heart was fuller than ever. Just being with Anna made the seconds worth it, even in hell. Soon they’d take down Hans, and their lives could go on. She imagined the two of them in bed on a winter night, the snow piling high outside. They sipped hot cocoa as they lay in bed, snuggling close for warmth. Elsa sighed, and watched as Anna fired two jets of astral energy from her fists and spun around to kick off another. 

A crash rang through the sparring hall. Elsa jumped, and all eyes turned to the entrance leading up into the Rock proper. Sarabi stood on her hind legs, fear in her eyes. Elsa’s heart skipped a beat; she walked up to Anna and took her hand, her brow furrowed. “Everyone!” Sarabi said, “Positions! Ursula’s here!” Elsa felt the world fall out from under her, the glass shattering. 

At once the training room descended into uproar. The lions shot to their feet and raced out the door to prepare for an assault. Elsa looked at Anna, who wore the same expression of terror she knew was etched into the lines of her own face. She squeezed her hand. Ursula had found them? No. How could she know where they were? A guess? Magic? Maybe she didn’t know, but was just stopping by to check and make sure. The possibilities swam through Elsa’s head, and she raised a hand to her forehead to stave off light-headedness. They had to prepare. Fight or no, Ursula could kill them all without a second thought. 

Anna tugged on Elsa’s shoulder. “I love you,” she said, “we’ll figure this out.” 

When had the tables turned? Just weeks ago it was Elsa reassuring Anna about demon struggles, and now this? Maybe that’s what it meant to be together, to have each other off and on when needed. Elsa did her best to smile at the girl. “I love you more,” she said. 

Elsa, Anna, and Vanellope followed Malefizel as she strode towards Sarabi, her hands in fists at her sides. Sarabi nodded as they approached, and beckoned for them to follow her up the stairs into the Rock. They hurried down the corridor to the main hall, weaving between demons rushing to defense positions. 

“Does the Sea Witch know we’re here?” Malefizel asked as she strode side by side with Sarabi. 

“We’re not sure. Our scouts spotted her creatures swarming through the plains towards the Rock. We’d have antagonistic runs in with her before, so this could be anything.” 

Malefizel nodded. “How irritating.”

Vanellope kept pace with Elsa, eyes on the floor. She was trembling, her teeth clenched. Elsa placed a hand on her back, doing her best to provide reassurance when all she felt was terror. Would they survive if Ursula attacked? She had them trapped whether she knew it or not. Where could they run to? 

They arrived in Pride Rock’s great hall to the bustle of people. Mufasa sat at a table in the center, his chin resting on his hand. He gestured for them to come over, his eyes like granite. Malefizel sat down across from his seat, her back rod straight. Elsa approached, but wasn’t sure whether she should sit or stand, so she stayed up and held position on Malefizel’s right. Anna and Vanellope found spots next to her, flanking, while Sarabi took a seat next to the lion king, to all appearances his equal.

“Are you sure,” Mufasa said to Malefizel, “that Ursula believes you to be dead?” His voice was deep and low, hinting of danger. 

“Yes,” said Malefizel. 

Mufasa sighed. “I suppose we’ll be putting that to the test, then. We don’t know whether she’s here to fight.” He bowed his head slightly, and locked eyes with Malefizel. “Will you acquiesce to following my orders until this ordeal is finished?” 

Malefizel grunted, and crossed her arms. “Very well.” 

“Good.” Mufasa turned towards Sarabi. “Would you be willing to take Maleficent and her companions to the hollow outside the Rock? We won’t reveal their presence if Ursula asks, but they should still view the proceedings. Hopefully this can all end with a nice talk.”

Sarabi nodded. She stood from the table, and Malefizel followed her up. 

“We’ll prepare for Ursula’s arrival and meet her on our front door.” Mufasa glanced at Maleficent, “keep an eye out, flee if you must.” Was that even an option? Elsa swallowed air, and struggled with the idea of leaving the lions to fight Ursula alone. The odds weren’t great were it to come to that. 

“Understood. Be careful.”

“And you.”

“Wait,” Vanellope said, stepping forward. Elsa’s breath hitched as all eyes in the room fell upon the girl. “What do we do if she attacks?” 

Malefizel glared daggers at her, but didn’t speak. Mufasa rumbled, and Elsa couldn’t tell whether it was laughter or disdain. “Then you fight, little one. You’ve been training, have you not?”

Vanellope swallowed, and turned to look at Elsa. Her expression cracked with anxiety. “R-Right,” she said, breaking her eyes away, “the ol’ fisticuffs. Got it, fur-man.” Anna touched her shoulder. Elsa wasn’t used to seeing such a pure terror from the girl, had something changed? Her confidence was often absolute. But then again, she herself was feeling the weight of fear on her soul as Ursula converged on them. Would she even listen to words? 

Sarabi led Elsa and the party back into the corridors under the Rock. They followed the sweeping paths until they reached a spiral staircase descending to the ground below. At the bottom, Elsa found herself in a dark chasm without light, and was about to say something when Anna lit up behind her. She turned, and the girl blushed, fidgeting. Her skin glowed, luminescent like a star. 

Sarabi pulled back the door to the hidden entrance, and the party stepped out onto the dark prairie. They followed a small path up the side of the stone fortress to a cliff looking out on the main gate. The massive double doors were situated at the base of the Rock, directly under the great plateau jutting into the sky. The doors heaved open, pushed by demons of the pride, and Mufasa stepped through with two dozen warriors at his back. More of the red ocean lanterns hung along the cliffside. The crimson of their light mixed with the yellow of the high towers to create a burnt orange where the two overlapped.

“Keep quiet,” Malefizel said. Elsa nodded, and ducked low to the ground. She peeked up just high enough to just see over the barrier of brush and down to the proceedings below. Anna and Vanellope followed, crouching beside her. They’d never been in a real fight. Elsa worried her lip, and wondered how good their odds really were. Just 20 minutes past they’d been laughing in the training room, all smiles. Ursula had an army. 

“Seriously though, what do we do if they attack?” Vanellope asked. The clicks in her throat rang at a higher pitch, her mandibles twitching along the sides of her face. 

Anna grimaced, and turned to Elsa. “We can’t leave them, can we?” She asked, “even if the can win, we might be able to help. They’re putting their lives on the line for us.”

“Mufasa always was a sentimental fool,” Malefizel said, cracking her knuckles. 

Elsa took a ragged breath, and blinked a few times. They couldn’t leave their hosts to die, that was for certain. Elsa knew running would be the smart thing, but she couldn’t convince her heart to do it, even if it meant jeopardizing the mission to stop Hans. He needed to go down, but she couldn’t ignore those standing in front of her, even if it meant never knowing whether Gerda was still alive. Even if she didn’t want to. The realization was thick in her throat. She’d always been the one to throw herself in danger, hadn’t she? To put her life on the line without thought? Elsa remembered the countless demons she’d killed in Seattle, their blood dripping off her talons. What made this different? Elsa knew, of course, and cast a longing glance in Anna’s direction. 

“It would be wrong to leave them to die,” Elsa said. She watched as the lion king and his warriors took their positions before the gate. The doors swung shut behind them with a boom. 

“But if we must leave them to survive,” Malefizel said, “we will.”

“How can you say that?” Vanellope jabbed a finger in her face. “Mufasa’s your friend!”

Malefizel snarled, and hunched her shoulders. “Mufasa is fully capable of taking care of himself and his pride. We must get to the Queen before it’s too late.”

“What if we leave and the pride is wiped out?”

Elsa watched the gears working behind Malefizel’s eyes. She hesitated before she spoke, which Elsa was sure was a first. “Then we’ll have gone after the bigger fish,” she said, “to save more in the end.”

“We’ll need all the allies we can get to fight Hans, we need the pride alive!” Vanellope stomped her crossed her arms, and managed to keep her volume to a harsh whisper. The wind blew, and Mufasa stood tall like a sentinel, the lions at his back. They waited, and the tension felt thick as lead. How far out were they? Elsa grimaced. How long until there was no chance to turn and run? 

Malefizel straightened, and furrowed her eyebrows. “That is an acute observation,” she said to Vanellope, “odd to hear such a thing from you.”

Vanellope shaped her hand like a gun and blew on her pointer finger as if it were a pistol barrel. “Just stooping to your utilitarian-ass level, babe.”

“Do not call me babe.”

Elsa could almost smile, but then she heard the howls. A shiver ran up her spine. She looked towards the horizon, the exact line of it lost amongst the darkness. Figures, she saw, were hurtling themselves towards the Rock. Hundreds of them, like a wave. Their shrieks carried on the wind, ringing with anguish and fury. Ursula’s demons appeared from the shadows like nightmares, sloughing over the pride lands in a mad rush forward. Elsa tensed, and bared her teeth in their direction. Anna wrapped her arm around her shoulder and pulled her tight. 

“We can do this,” she said. Elsa nodded, her gaze locked on the approaching enemies. Her heat fled into her throat, and she was filled with fear. Anna could die. She could die. The dream, blissful, could fall from its place and shatter, irreparable. 

“How are you so confident?” Elsa asked Anna in a whisper.

Her love smiled, and for the moment the mass of creatures faded away. “Because I’m with you,” she said, “we can do anything together.”

Elsa laughed without humor. Her gaze dropped to the grass, and the saw a vision of her own life slipping away as the demons pulled her organs from her torso. “I hope you’re right.” 

As the mob approached, a dark shadow formed in its middle. Like a monster rising from the sea Ursula’s tentacles burst from the wave of bodies and thrashed into the air. Her torso emerged atop a miasma of slippery tendrils, her white hair billowing in the wind. Mufasa’s warriors lowered into attack stances while the lion king himself remained still, immobile. The Sea Witch barreled forward until she stood under the very shadow of Pride Rock. She slowed her mad rush, her creatures following suit and surrounding her like rats. Please stop, Elsa thought, please, please. Talk. There has to be something worth saying before spilling so much blood. Anna’s arm tightened around her waist.

Ursula halted 20 feet from Mufasa, her creatures falling over themselves as they slowed. A weight lifted from Elsa’s shoulders, but the real challenge was still head. Think, Elsa. Stay in it. She blinked, and took note that Ursula’s face looked undamaged after Anna struck it with her magic. Ursula could feed upon her demons to heal herself, but for how long? What were the creatures she controlled, really? 

The Sea Witch cackled, and let her hands rest on her hips. A rumble echoed out around her as her creatures snarled. Mufasa rubbed the backs of his hands, frowning. Even from her distance, Elsa could hear them just fine. “Mufasa!” she said, “how are you? Been a minute.”

Mufasa threw his head back and roared, startling Elsa. Her nerves rang in her ears, shrill and white. Anna’s hand rubbed smooth circles into her side, and Elsa latched onto the sensation to ground herself.

The lion king crossed his arms in front of him before he spoke. “You are not welcome here, Ursula. What is your intention?”

Ursula pouted, and cocked her head. “Oh? That’s too bad, old friend. I was looking forward to catching up.”

“State your business,” Mufasa said as he took a hard step forward, “if you please.”

Ursula crossed her arms to match him and huffed. “Fine. You’re no fun anymore, you old cat.” She slithered forward, and Elsa tensed. If the Witch attacked, would she fling herself into the fight to save the pride? Ursula gestured to the Rock, sighing at Mufasa’s dour expression. “I’m looking for a few runaways. Four women, two human and two demon. You’re the only spot around and it’s not like we get humans playing down here often, so I figured I’d stop by. You seen them?”

“Who are they to you?”

Ursula laughed, and waved her hand in front of her. “It’s just a job, honey. I’m a working girl.”

“On who’s order are you hunting them?”

“What’s it to you?”

“Tell me, or my pride shall not assist.” 

A dark looked crossed Ursula’s expression, and she tutted, sliding forward a few more feet. Her mass of demons writhed behind her, growls and shrieks audible from those in the distance. “Now when have you ever cared about that?” She grinned, and her smile extended up to the back of her jaw. “It sounds an awful lot like you’re rather not me find them, actually.”

“I’m just being inquisitive.” Mufasa sighed and stepped back, bowing his head an inch to the demon before him. “No such party has come across our lands, I am sorry to say.”

“Mm, I bet you are. What a gentleman.”

Elsa glanced at Malefizel, and saw that she was biting her lip. She’d known Ursula and Mufasa for decades, right? What did she see in their interaction that Elsa couldn’t? Anna shifted beside her, growling under her breath. The wind was gentle, betraying the tension that filled it. Elsa smelled dying grass on the breeze, and focused on the touch of the dirt under her feet.

“If you’re not harboring anyone,” Ursula said, “would you mind if I took a peek inside?”

“You may not,” said Mufasa.

“Would it help if I said please?”

“You will not enter Pride Rock, Ursula of the Red Sea.” Mufasa snarled, baring his teeth at her. “You are no Lord, and hold no sway. We do not have the fugitives you seek, and you shall not come any closer.” 

“Oh, but I really think I will.” Ursula laughed, and a cruel smile stretched over her lips. She slithered back a few feet, her eyes wild. “I forgot to tell you, but my employer thought you might say that. He told me he’d be dropping in to have a word.”

Elsa’s blood ran cold as a tear in space opened in the grass between Ursula and Mufasa. From its depths stepped Hans, his hands clasped behind his back. Mufasa dropped into a fighting stance, his teeth bared and sharp. A whine escaped Elsa’s lips, and she clamped down on her tongue to stop it from growing louder. Nowhere to run, negotiations going south, and there was Hans Westerguard with an army of merciless monsters backing him up. 

“Oh, fuck,” Vanellope said. 

Malefizel snarled, her eyes wide and furious. She crouched like an animal staring down prey, her teeth bared. Sarabi glanced between their party, confusion on her face. 

Hans had shed his black cloaks for a white jacket and pants with red accents. His boots were black and tall, and he carried two identical swords on his hip. Anna’s grip on Elsa’s waist tightened. They could do anything together, right? Even kill a Lord? He was right there, and while Elsa realized it was their best chance at taking him out, any attack at all would now more than likely get them all killed.

The only person unfazed was Ursula, who was wringing her hands together in delight several steps behind her master. Hans took another step forward, and drank in his surroundings. He didn’t look that different; Elsa had been expecting more changes after the Lord shift, but he was still basically human sans his swept back black horns. 

Mufasa looked stiff where he’d previously been confident. Was it fear? His warriors stepped forward, talons drawn. Elsa glanced again at Malefizel, and for a moment feared she might sprint down the hill and attack Hans herself from the face she was making.

“Whatever plan we had,” Vanellope said in a quiet, quivering voice, “consider it fucked.”

“Plan,” said Anna, “we need a new plan. Right now.” Elsa nodded, but her mind was foggy. The dream she’d longed for slipped from her fingers like dust. 

Mufasa stood again as it became clear that Hans did not mean to attack immediately. He shook his head, rigid. “Am I to take it that you are Ursula’s employer?” He asked. 

“Please,” said Hans, “you know who I am.”

Mufasa growled. “I suppose I do.” He took a step forward, and his warriors followed suit, closing the distance between their ranks and Ursula’s army. The Sea Witch herself slithered and slid to Hans’ right, eyeing them. “You are not welcome here, Westerguard.”

Hans chuckled. “I am a Lord. The Queens magic beats in my heart, so I am welcome everywhere.”

“Leave, and we can avoid any further conflict.”

Hans frowned, and raised an eyebrow at Mufasa. “Am I to assume, then, that you are willingly committing treason by denying me? Let us look about your house, surely you have nothing to hide.” A fight seemed all but inevitable. Elsa took Anna’s hand, and did her best to remember the times they’d had. When Hans attacked, she’d fight. She couldn’t leave the lions to stave him off alone. Even if he was a Lord, there must be a way to defeat him. How could she and Anna stage an attack, what could Vanellope offer? Strategies buzzed in her thoughts like flies. Elsa wanted to live. 

“Treason?” Mufasa puffed out his chest. 

“Damn fool,” Malefizel said. Her hands shook. 

“Wait, what the fuck is he doing” Vanellope asked, looking between Elsa and Malefizel. “He doesn’t stand a chance, right? Let them search the Rock, we can just fucking hide!”

“That,” said Malefizel, “would be the smart thing to do.” 

The lion king bellowed his words so they carried over the plains. “One cannot commit treason against someone such as you!” Mufasa beat pounded his fist against his heart, head held high. “The chaos you sew benefits no one but yourself and your crusade for power! You do not deserve the privilege of Lordship, and I shall not bow to you. Leave before I run you out!” Elsa stiffened, and felt Anna do the same. 

Hans sighed, and narrowed his eyes at the lion in a glare. “That’s a shame. I’d always admired you, sir, and was going to invite you to become one of my knights.”

Sarabi shot to her feet behind Elsa, her back straight like steel. Malefizel whipped around. “Get down, you fool!” They’d be spotted, Sarabi must have known that, but before Elsa could say anything she was already leaping from the brush and barreling down the hill towards Mufasa and Hans. “No, no! Idiot!”

Hans lifted a hand. Sarabi didn’t make it in time. The Lord opened a small portal in front of himself and thrust his arm through. Elsa covered her mouth as his hand erupted from Mufasa’s chest, the demon’s heart clutched tight in his fingers. Blood spilled down Mufasa’s torso. He staggered forward, eyes wide. Hans dropped the heart into the grass at the lion’s feet. He withdrew his bloodied arm from the portal, and it popped shut with a crackle of energy.

Mufasa fell. He hit the ground with a thud, grass kicking up in his wake. Elsa watched in horror as his warriors surged forward in a battle cry as Sarabi reached the bottom of the hill and lunged for Hans. She swiped once, twice at his face with her massive talons. He dodged out of the. From behind him Ursula shot out a tentacle, slamming Sarabi into the dirt. Her creatures descended upon her en masse. Sarabi screamed into the sky as she disappeared under the monsters, their claws stained red. 

With a chorus of howls, Ursula’s horde flooded forward and barreled into the pride warriors. The fight broke out in earnest, with each lion taking on a dozen wraiths in a flurry of talons and blows. Blood flew, and the bodies began to pile on the ground. Ursula turned to Hans, who was flicking the blood from his jacket sleeve. Elsa’s skin felt cold. She worried her lip so roughly she feared it might break.

“Shall I find the whelps?” Ursula asked Hans as her demons flooded past and into the fray.

He nodded. “Yes, I’d like to see them again.” Hans straightened his lapels, and smiled. “Shall we go get them?”

“We?” Ursula crossed her arms, “pardon me, Lord, but don’t you have a coup to plan?” 

“Yes, yes, but I need to blow off some steam first.” Hans took a step and thrust his hand in the direction of a lion warrior tearing a wraith in two. He clenched his fist, and the warrior jerked to a halt. Then they screeched, a wild, terrified sound like that of prey. Hans smirked, and their body collapsed in on itself. Bones snapping, muscles tearing. In and in and in until they were no more than a bloody, fleshy sphere the size of a tennis ball. The sphere dropped into the grass, and Hans adjusted his gloves. With a sigh, he strode forward towards the door to the Rock. Ursula slithered behind him, Mufasa’s warriors giving them ample space. “This won’t take long,” he said.

“Fuck,” Vanellope said, her teeth chattering. Elsa was of a similar mind. She wasn’t sure she could feel her fingers. “Fuck, fuck. We’re fucked.”

Elsa dropped her head into her hands. Her breath hitched as the reality of the situation slammed into her. “Elsa?” Anna asked. She rubbed Elsa’s back, leaning down to look into her eyes.

Tears flowed down Elsa’s cheeks as she chewed her bleeding lower lip. She’d never seen a demon so powerful, and she had planned to fight him? To die trying to save the pride? Laughable. The difference in power was astounding. She’d never quite comprehended on a physical level what the powers of a Lord, what Maleficent, really were, and Hans was just playing. He killed the lion king like he a child might break a toy. Even if they could get close enough to hurt him, how were they going to stand a chance? Her mind reeled. The ground wobbled under her, and Elsa scrambled for something to cling to. She shook so violently she was afraid she might knock Anna to the ground. 

“M-Maleficent,” Elsa said, finding her teacher’s eyes, “you were a Lord. What do we do?” Something, anything. Please. 

Malefizel sat, eyes blank. She didn’t react as Vanellope placed a hand on her back and began to rub. The girl shuddered, her eyes blinking rapidly, her mandibles twitching. Malefizel gripped her broken hand like it were the only hold she had left on the world, and squeezed the healing flesh and bone until it turned purple under the bandages. Her gaze was distant as she muttered incoherent words under her breath. 

Elsa waited as the howls of the demons ebbed and flowed up the hill. “He hasn’t seen us,” Malefizel said finally, “we need to leave.” Her face hadn’t moved. She seemed to be staring off into somewhere unseen, her eyes going bloodshot. 

Elsa shook her head. If left the shelter of the Rock, the horde would find them. There was nowhere to go for miles, they’d be dead before they reached Gothel’s wood. “What about the pride?” asked Anna. Terrible roars of agony floating up from the clearing, and Elsa couldn’t tell what was wraith and what was warrior. She didn’t dare check. She knew what the result would be. “What about Nala and Simba? The others?”

“I drank with some of the fighters down there,” Vanellope said. She growled, chirps emanating from her throat. “Shit. Fuck. Fuck! We can’t just leave them! Why haven’t the other Lords put that fucker down?”

“They’re too busy,” Maleifzel said, “being a Lord is protecting a planet. He knew that going in. He’s probably been hiding, and he can’t be struck down if no one knows where he is on Earth, where he has domain.”

Vanellope shook her head. “Fuck. Just. Fuck.”

Elsa’s mind was a jumble. Her thoughts swirled, her heart raced. Every second they waited, more of the pride died. It wouldn’t be long before Hans breached the gate and slaughtered everyone inside. She saw her future with Anna, their chance, becoming a distance fantasy. “I-If we run, they’ll find and kill us,” she said, “But if we fight, Hans will pick us apart like insects.” Elsa blinked, and took a deep breath. She locked eyes with Anna. What was she willing to give up to do the right thing? “We can’t leave the pride to die, and we need another option.”

“Maybe we could try to draw them away from the Rock?” said Anna. 

“That’s still running,” Malefizel said, her eyes glassy, “we’d die.”

Elsa rubbed her temples, doing her best to drown out the sounds of screaming behind her. “We don’t have time to come up with a perfect plan.” She glanced at each of her companions, sizing them up. “We can’t fight Hans, but what about Ursula?” The heart of the horde. Elsa bit her lip, and took Anna’s hand for reassurance. “Her creatures react to her emotions, we saw it earlier when she was talking to Mufasa. Maybe if she dies, her control will vanish?”

“We could use the chaos to our advantage,” said Anna, “even if their lives aren’t tied to hers, they’ll be directionless.” It was something. Losing Ursula would leave Hans alone, which wasn’t nothing.

“Need I remind you,” said Malefizel, “that unlike Ursula, Westerguard can kill us instantly.” 

Together, they were nearly invincible, but separate? Ursula’s demons weren’t that strong on their own, perhaps they could hold them off for long enough to get to her? “What if,” Elsa said, “what if we draw them away from each other? Draw Hans up into the Rock while pulling Ursula out into the field, then eliminate Ursula while he’s distracted.”

Elsa felt something warm inside her. It wasn’t a great plan, but it was something. She glanced at Anna, who nodded. “We’ve only got four people, though,” Anna said. She glanced at Malefizel, “well, three point five.”

A boom echoed up from the clearing. Elsa heard wood snapping, and the volume of the horde rose in pitch. The gate was coming down.

The pride wouldn’t last long. Seconds ticked by. “I’ll use myself as bait to pull Hans in while the rest of you take Ursula,” Elsa said. 

“Um, no?” Anna grabbed Elsa’s shoulder and tugged her around to look her in the eye. “You’re not going in there to sacrifice yourself.” Elsa frowned, her eyes watering. What choice did they have, but to put it all on the line to save the people before them? But then, she thought, if she died, who would protect Anna? Vanellope? 

Malefizel cleared her throat. All eyes fell turned her, and Elsa placed a hand on Anna’s cheek. She had to do something to reassure her. Malefizel had a clear look about her, a renewal of focus. There was a twinkle in her eyes. “Arendelle, don’t be a fool. Anna and Vanellope will need you to help fight Ursula. I’ll draw Hans into the Rock. Alone.”

“What?” Vanellope said, her eyes wide, “but you’re human now! He doesn’t know you’re even alive! He’ll fry you on the spot.”

“He won’t kill me should I convince him I yet live.”

“How? You won’t have time!” 

“He has my magic. He will know.”

Vanellope fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable. Elsa leveled her gaze at Malefizel. It might work. Only Maleficent talked like Maleficent, and Hans was arrogant enough to let her get a few words in before he struck her down. She was well aware that it put Rapunzel at risk as well, but their time and options were low. 

Another crash sounded from the gate. The wood lay in shards on the ground, and the waves of creatures flowed inside like a funnel. “We don’t have time,” Elsa said. If they failed, they were all dead anyways. “Vanellope, I need you to teleport Malefizel back into the rock to head off Hans.” She found the girl’s gaze, and held it with a confidence she didn’t feel. “Anna and I will distract Ursula until you can come back to help us finish her.” It was time to test whether Vanellope could teleport with a passenger. If she couldn’t, they’d figure something else out. They had to. “Malefizel. Don’t die.”

Malefizel smirked, her usual disposition about her again. The drive that had vanished following Mufasa’s death sprang back, and life filled her once more. “I’m proud, Arendelle,” she said, “you do work well under pressure.” Elsa felt a light blush dust her cheeks. “I make no promises, but I don’t plan to fall today.” Elsa nodded in approval.

“But, like,” began Vanellope, waving her hands, “I still don’t know what makes my magic work! And I can only blip to places I can see!”

Elsa stood up. Roars echoed from inside the Rock’s front gate. Anna followed, and helped Vanellope to her feet. Elsa turned to her, and placed a hand on her cheek. “You can do it,” she said, “you’ve done it already. Just remember what that felt like.”

“Knock ‘em dead, V,” Anna said. She raised her fist, and Vanellope bumped it, but the twitch in her eyes hadn’t gone. 

“Whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay,” the girl said. She faced Malefizel, who’d found her way to her feet. She held out her trembling hand as if to shake, and Malefizel took it. The moment of truth. The gazed into each other eyes and Elsa swore something passed between them. Vanellope swallowed. She took a deep breath, tensed, and was gone. Malefizel disappeared at the same time, and a green light flickered back down the slope to the secret entrance. 

Elsa felt a weight lift, and managed to smile at Anna. “She did it,” she said. They were in action, there wasn’t time left to think. Just like the demons she’d fought before, only bigger. 

Anna nodded, and glanced out over the writhing mass of bodies below them. “Are you ready for this?” The scent of blood reached Elsa, blown up on the wind. 

She closed her eyes. She wasn’t ready. Terror held her heart in its horrid palm. But she had to be, she had to act while there were still people to save, while Anna still lived. “Yes.” Elsa took her love’s face in her hands and kissed her. She kissed all the longing she could muster into her, her heart Anna’s to bear. Anna embraced her, and Elsa sagged into the touch with relief. “I love you, Anna,” she said as she pulled away. Tears spilled off the edges of her face. If we don’t survive, you need to know, she thought. The words couldn’t be verbalized; she’d curse them. Elsa hoped her expression, her tears, would speak for themselves.

Anna smiled, but it was sad. The message had been received. “I love you, Elsa Arendelle,” she said. It would have to be enough. Together they stood side by side, hand in hand, and gazed down the hill upon the demons spilling into Pride Rock. 

 

-o-

 

What the hell was she doing? Maleficent stood still at the top of the stairs in the foyer of the Rock as the remaining warriors of Mufasa’s clan lumbered into view, hunched over and prepared for the bloodbath. The gate was shattered. The horde flowed into the hall, spilling over the wreckage like a cup too full. The warriors engaged, throwing themselves into the fray and tearing at the wraiths to pieces. They found well, but Maleficent knew they’d be overrun in the end. 

Vanellope set her down on the stairs the instant they’d arrived. They exchanged a look, a look Maleficent couldn’t quite place, and the girl disappeared off into the battle to find the Arendelles. She’d picked it up quite quickly, and Maleficent would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little proud. First Elsa, now the runt? Her standards were falling. For the first time since she’d met Vanellope, Maleficent found herself hoping she’d survive. Her demon form was magnificent, elegant, and lethal, and it would be a shame if the world lost something so beautiful so soon.

Rapunzel’s light beat like a bright glowing drum in her chest. Ever the reminder of her own failings, Maleficent cursed the girl. Her influence was greater than she’d originally thought; there was a softness inside Maleficent now, a sentimentality. Where before her affections in general had been small, they’d only grown in the time her possession. Perhaps it explained why she found herself in the situation that she did.

Maleficent looked around, her eyes glancing over the corpses of lions as they failed to repel the invaders. The floor ran slick with red. She’d been hoping she’d find a corpse to pilfer for a heart, maybe finally turn while the others weren’t looking, but every corpse she saw was far out of her reach. The fray was too violent, too bloody for her to risk dodging around trying to find a heart to eat. Rapunzel’s body would be destroyed in an instant, and no amount of fancy dodges or kicks would save Maleficent then. No, she’d have to do what she said she’d do, and stall Hans long enough with words for the others to kill Ursula. 

As she watched them die from her perch, Maleficent didn’t find herself too bothered by the pride’s slaughter. They were people she’d never met, unlike the whelps she’d been traveling with. She’d already lost Mufasa, and without him the pride meant little to her.

He’d been one of her first friends, long ago. Before she even became a Lord. A rival, an off and on lover. He was always too noble for his own good, too stubborn. He’d kept his swath of the Underworld in order, and for that the Queen ignored him. Then he disappeared, and Maleficent was sad to see him go. He’d been something she could never scratch the surface of becoming. The darkness of the Underworld felt deeper, thicker, now that he was dead. She refused to shed a tear, for he died as he’d lived, valiant, but the loss left a weight in her chest that she couldn’t easily push away. 

Perhaps she’d see him soon. It wouldn’t be a bad way to go, facing down the creature that stole her magic, her body. At the very least, she hoped to impart some truly scathing insults before following Mufasa into the void.

She was sure to die in her encounter with Hans. Arendelle had to have known Maleficent was walking into a suicide mission and taking Rapunzel with her. Live or die, all she had to do was distract the bastard long enough for the others to strike down the Witch. 

Rapunzel’s light pulsed in her chest, warm, and she grimaced. A drop of blood flew up from the floor below and hit Maleficent below the eye. She felt something hateful blooming inside as she thought of the girl whose body she’d stolen. It dawned on her as she watched Hans step over the rubble of the door and into the hall that the feeling was guilt. 

The massacre slowed around her as she watched him. She didn’t have time to waste. “Hans Westerguard, you fool!” She threw her hands out to either side, channeling the best of Vannellope’s irritations, “ you thought you could kill me and take my Lord magic so easily?” She’d play it up as much as she needed to. 

His eyes found her as he stepped over a body lying across the center path. “Maleficent?” Hans let his hands drop to his sides, and he smirked. Drops of blood rained on his white jacket. “No, girl. Who are you?”

Maleficent cocked an eyebrow. “I am Maleficent,” she said, pointing a long finger at Hans’ chest, “reach out with your magic, I know you can see the spell I used to take this body.” 

Hans furrowed his brow, and for a moment he stopped walking. A lion warrior lunged out from the fray and swiped at him, but he snapped and a bolt of lightning shot from his fingers, disintegrating the demon from the inside out.

“So it seems. Funny, I thought I killed you.” He chuckled at his own joke, and stepped onto the stairs. “Do you plan to prostrate yourself before your new Lord?”

Maleficent swallowed air, and felt the fury in her heart scream. She cursed her broken arm, cursed her own foolishness, and cursed Rapunzel for being born human. Hans ascended the stairs. The tide was turning quickly around him as more and more of the lions were pulled to pieces. Another step, and before Maleficent could think of what to say Hans was a few feet away, towering above her like never before.

“Well?” He said, his eyes dark, “surely you came all this way to say something to me.”

Maleficent snarled, and balled her hands into fists at her sides. What could she say, really? What was she doing there, putting her and Rapunzel’s lives on the line? If they had just left immediately, they might have had time to make it out alive. The golden glow in her chest pulsated, and warmth filled Maleficent’s blood. She bit her lip. 

“I loathe you, Hans Westerguard,” she said, dousing the words with rage, “everything about you is anathema to my very existence. You may win today, but the Queen will snuff you out like the kindling fire you are.” It was all she had, and it was pathetic. 

Hans laughed, and crossed his arms. He shifted his weight, relaxing a touch. “Oh, I have my doubts about both points.” One of Ursula’s demons flew through the air and slammed into the wall next to them. It slid to the ground at their feet, blood pooling on the floor. What were Elsa and the others doing? “You’re just as power hungry as I am, the only difference is that you lost.” He leaned in, and flicked her nose with his forefinger. 

Maleficent’s mind went white. She saw stars, every fiber of her burning with hate. “Mark me, the day will come when you beg for death.”

“Idle threats? You’re offering up your life for that?” Hans shook his head. “I thought you were better than that, Maleficent. The Queen will be dethroned, and I will rule. We are the same,” He sneered, and his fist collided with Maleficent’s gut. She fell to her knees, the wind sucked from her lungs. Her vision blurred. “Our ambition rules us both, and for that we are alone, but powerful.” 

Maleficent heaved, clutching her chest to catch her breath. “F-Fuck you.” 

“Oh, how crude. Pick that up from the humans?” Maleficent spat on his shoe, the lot of good it did her. Hans cackled, and slapped her across the face.

Her vision went black as she faded in and out. Her cheek burned. Deep shame welled in her belly. What had she hoped to accomplish, really? She was living on borrowed time, every second of it stolen. Rapunzel didn’t deserve to die for her idiocy, but unfortunately for her she and Maleficent were the only expendable party member. 

She met Hans’ eyes, and willed her hate to infect his brain like a disease. His hand moved, and Maleficent squeezed her eyes shut. She just hoped the time she bought would be enough. 

Hans placed his palm on her forehead, and Maleficent readied herself for death.

“Oh, look at this.” He said to no one. A moment passed. Maleficent found herself still alive. She blinked her eyes open, and looked back up at him. He smirked, and gripped his hand tighter on her skull. Pain rocketed through her head. “I can see the girl you’ve taken over. She’s there, alive and asleep inside you.”

His smirk grew into a grin, and Maleficent’s heart sank in her chest. “What?”

“Fascinating. I can see the magical bonds connecting you. How odd. Did you know your Lord magic could see these?” She didn’t. How could she have? “I wonder what would happen if I just…” 

Hans tapped a finger against the top of Maleficent’s skull, and everything shattered. Her thoughts fragmented. She saw double. A voice mumbled in her head like a child waking from slumber. Memories she didn’t recognize flooded her mind: a brunette in a Victorian dress, and Anna whispering in a movie theatre. A mother and father rescuing her. A woman laughing, holding her at arm’s length with a blade.

Maleficent screamed; she barely recognized her own sound. Her throat went raw, and her eyes rolled back into her head. Lightning pulsed under her skin like fire. 

“I see,” Hans said, humor in his tone, “It makes sense that toying with these bonds would hurt, I suppose. There’s a junction here separating the two of you, do you think it’s fragile?” 

He tapped his finger again, and light blared in Maleficent’s head like a solar flare. She wasn’t sure how much louder she could scream. She saw Mufasa, far younger than he’d been when he died. Her face was wet, was she crying? The voice in her head spoke, calling out to her from a distant beyond. She remembered what the voice was going to say before it could say it. 

“Let go.”

Hans tapped Maleficent’s forehead a third time, and the walls of her mind came crashing down on all sides. The light spilled in. She saw a woman, young, with a long train of hair as bright as gold. She reached her hand out. Maleficent stretched her fingers out, willing her muscles to move, and took the girl’s hand in her own. A brightness engulfed her, and she saw no more.

 

-o-

 

Elsa danced through the mass of bodies, cutting demons down the moment they came into range of her ice blades. She leapt up, hurtling herself out and over the crowd to get her bearings, and dived back in with her mouth open in a roar. Three wraiths bounded for her, but she dropped to the ground and spun, cutting off their legs and impaling their heads each in turn. Another, larger creature lumbered for her and swung. Elsa used the upward momentum from standing up to slice it clean through from the base of its pelvis to its throat.

A wave of heat shot past her left, and three dozen wraiths were reduced to smoldering flesh. Anna sprinted past her and down the trail she’d cut through the crowd, right for Ursula. The Sea Witch slashed at Anna with her tentacles. The girl backed off, hissing.

She spun and kicked, hurtling a massive wave of rainbow plasma through the demons ahead. They caught like paper. Anna pumped up the juice, and the flame engulfed them entirely, consuming them. Ursula howled with laughter, and pointed at Anna. The horde converged. Elsa weaved around her, decapitating the creatures nearest to her. Anna fired plume after plume into their ranks, cutting jagged swathes through the mass.

They were a buzzsaw of fire and ice for any demon who ventured too close. Elsa lurched up, and sliced through two demons as she parried another. “Vanellope!” she called out, yelling above the roar of the monsters, “focus Ursula!” 

There was a blip of green light, and Vanellope was standing next to her panting. “The fuck,” she said, catching her breath, “do you think I’m doing?”

“Get her to turn around!” Anna said as she threw her first into the ground and sent a ring of flame bursting out in every direction. “I need a clear shot, and I can’t get that if she’s anticipating it!”

“I thought you liked it when people watched, Anna!” Vanellope’s claws shot out and tore the head off one of the incoming wraiths. 

“Shut up, just go be annoying!”

A demon flew through the crowd towards Anna’s back. Elsa dove for it, spinning in the air and slicing it open from shoulder to hip. Vanellope jumped forward and socked it in the face for good measure. It went down. Vanellope blipped off, disappearing before her foot hit the ground.

Elsa heard Ursula snarl in frustration as the girl began pestering her from every side and tearing up whatever flesh she could get her claws on. 

Elsa ducked as Anna threw her hand out, but her breath caught in her throat when she coughed and no fire surged forth. Elsa went into overtime. She flung herself at the creatures closing in on them. She took the legs off two, spun, sliced up, and caught a third across the eyes. A larger demon flailed and caught her shoulder; she stepped into the blow and punched her blade up through its intestines. 

Anna hacked, and after a moment caught her breath. Elsa glanced at her and dropped into a crouch as she spun in place. A cyclone of galaxy-colored plasma flared out on all sides. A hundred demons caught and were obliterated where they stood. 

“We can’t do this forever!” Anna said, screaming over the shrieks and cries of Ursula’s horde. 

“Watch Ursula!” Elsa raced forward and impaled another creature, then swung around with it and used its body to catch the blow of another. “I’ll keep them off you!” 

“You can’t hold them all back, Elsa!” She knew that, but what else could she do? Her blood burned like hot lead in her veins. Her breath came shorter and shorter, and one way or another she knew the end was coming. 

“Try!” Elsa had never faced so many enemies, nor any so furious and unrelenting. These things Ursula controlled, they couldn’t be demons. Every demon she’d ever met had enough pride to fill a swimming pool, but these?

Anna snarled, and twirled where she stood. Elsa took a deep breath. She melted against the monsters closing in, ignoring her thoughts, her fear, and fought. Ice sheared through bodies like hot wax. Arms, legs, and heads toppled to the ground. The sea of bodies at her feet was thick, and Elsa had to watch her footing in addition to finding kill shots so she didn’t stumble over someone or sink into a pit of corpses. Was she even breathing? Elsa couldn’t tell. 

A shot went off, and Elsa glanced back to see Ursula dodge around a sustained jet of flame. Vanellope blipped in front of the Witch and roundhouse kicked her in the face from midair, drawing her attention back to her. Anna fired again. Ursula waved her hand and a mass of her creatures flung themselves in front of the attack, blocking the plume.

Elsa slipped. She toppled forward, almost falling. She cut her way back up, blood covering every inch of her skin. Two creatures latched onto her back, and she howled as they dug into her flesh. 

“Elsa!” Anna threw her fist down again, and another wave of energy fired out in all directions, incinerating the creatures attached to Elsa. The flame caught Elsa’s back. She screamed in pain. Her nerves overloaded, and she nearly fell to her knees. It burned, it burned. “Don’t you fucking dare fall down!” Anna screamed at her. 

Elsa snarled. She hauled herself into a spin, cutting down four creatures diving for Anna. Their blood dyed her hair red. The yellow light of the towers flashed overhead, lighting the field of battle. 

“Here comes another one!”

Elsa ducked in the nick of time as Anna sent another wave tearing through the enemy. She launched herself after the stragglers, ending their lives.

“Hey!” Anna threw lances of plasma into the sea of bodies. She spun to fire another at Ursula for good measure, only to have it glance off another wall of creatures. “I’ve got a crazy plan!” Vanellope danced through Ursula’s tentacles, fanning her fury.

Elsa kicked one demon into another. She cut the throat of the another and kicked out, knocking the first two to the ground. “How crazy?” She cried. 

“Ursula isn’t doing anything to defend herself from the sky! We hit her from above!” Anna struck the ground again, sending out another wave. She followed up with four more shots at Ursula, the last of which sputtered out. In the time it took her to fire those four blasts, the demons converged. Elsa’s body screamed as she cut down drove in attempt to cover Anna’s back. Anna clenched her teeth, and threw her hand out again, igniting another line of monsters. 

“How?” Elsa spun and pressed her back against Anna’s.

“I’m gonna fly you up and drop you on her!”

Elsa blinked. “What the fuck?” She downed six more, arms a blur of icy blue. She hadn’t time to process that Anna had called the plan crazy. 

“Trust me!” 

Elsa vaguely remembered Anna’s experiments in the training room like they were a dream from weeks before. It was crazy, but they didn’t have much else, and Vanellope couldn’t play distraction forever. Elsa’s throat burned, raw. Her lungs weren’t much better off, and she feared she might collapse at any moment. 

“Whenever you’re ready!”

“Right!” Anna kicked another blast out, and then turned to face Elsa as the horde filled in the gaps and rushed in to bury them. “Take my hand and hold on!”

Elsa melted one of her ice blades and grabbed her hand. Just as the creatures began to swing at them Anna crouched and sprung back up into the sky with Elsa in tow. Explosions of fire and energy thrust from her feet. She jetted into the sky. Elsa’s arm nearly came out of its socket from the force. The horde crashed together like a wave below as the ground dipped away. Geysers of fire burned from Anna’s feet and spare hand as she rocketed them higher. Elsa did her best to remember to breath, her heart in her throat. The wind tugged at her face, but still they climbed. The edges of her vision were dark. 

They rose past the plateau of Pride Rock. Anna angled them slightly, wobbling on her one free thrust hand to change direction. In a moment they were over Ursula, and Elsa saw Vanellope blipping around her in arcs of teal green. 

“Go, Elsa!” Anna said, screaming into the sky. Elsa held her breath, and locked eyes on Ursula’s neck. No time to hesitate. Fight to live. She let go. 

Elsa plummeted like a missile. She held her free hand out to balance her descent. Her remaining blade swung into place, ready. The ground came up, and she saw Vanellope look to the sky and hesitate. A tentacle struck the girl and she went flying back into the crowd. Elsa’s chest burned.

She slammed into Ursula at a hundred miles per hour, crushing her tendrils underfoot to cushion her fall. The ground cracked below them from the impact, and all the plains seemed to rumble. The Witch shrieked. Elsa’s blade sang true.

Ursula’s head fell from her shoulders. Elsa leapt off her body and caught it as it fell, tucking and rolling onto the grass. With a last gasp, she plunged her ice between the head’s eyes. Ursula’s mouth fell open. Her body writhed. Anna jetted down from above and threw both hands forward, palms open. Two humongous comets of star-colored flame engulfed Ursula’s tentacles and torso. Anna flexed her arms and upped the pressure, sending an even thicker wave colliding into the ground. The heat razed Elsa’s back. She bit back the pain.

Ursula’s creatures shook, and turned to face her. Half a thousand monsters sprinted at Elsa, murder in their eyes. The head screamed, loud and shrill, the muscles in Ursula’s face firing wildly. Elsa grunted, and shoved the blade further into her skull. The head gasped. Ursula’s jaw went slack. 

The running demons lost their forward momentum and tripped, toppling to the ground in a heap of limbs. Like ripples on water, they fell. Anna let up on the flame. Elsa sighed at the touch of cool air on her back again. She turned to see a gaping hole in the ground where Ursula’s body had once been.

Elsa broke off her ice blade, leaving the point speared through the Sea Witch’s. Her mind was blank. Her muscles burned. She collapsed. 

It took time for her breathing to return. She lay on her back in the grass sopping wet with blood. Her bones ached even ounce as bad as they had the day she and her friends escaped the seaside town. Anna fell through the sky towards her, slowing her descend with small jets of fire. The roar of the wraiths had gone, and all was silence over the field of corpses. Elsa closed her eyes. Hans. They still had work to do. 

“Elsa!” Anna landed, and lifted Elsa up into a sitting position. She gagged, coughing, and covered her mouth with a shaking hand.

“Fuck,” she said. Her mouth tasted like iron. Speaking hurt her throat. 

Anna touched her forehead to Elsa’s, her eyes closed tight. “We did it.” She sighed. “You’re alive.” Ursula was dead. Vanellope limped towards them waving a big thumbs up. She was covered in noticeably less viscera, but looked haggard all the same. When she reached them she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Elsa nodded as if to reply, but wasn’t sure what she was approving of. Everything hurt. Hans. Need to get inside.

Anna stoked her forehead. Elsa startled as the creature nearest to her twitched its hand. Her heart rate spiked, and with energy she wasn’t aware she had Elsa leapt to her feet and threw herself between Anna and the demon. 

“Shit!” She said. A blade froze over her hand. The creature lifted its head. She was about to strike when Anna grabbed her wrist, stopping her. 

Elsa looked at Anna. She was pointing out at the remnants of the horde, all of which had begun moving. Some were standing, others were sitting. The fury they’d fought with had vanished. Elsa squinted, not quite believing what she was seeing. A few of them had awoken where they had fallen, but simply hadn’t moved. Another kneeled in the grass, and was picking small flowers to examine with bloated, fleshy hands. Elsa still wasn’t sure what was happening, but whatever spell Ursula placed on the creatures appeared to be lifted. What were they, then? Did they have minds to think with? 

Two wraiths held hands as they sat looking up at the sky. Were they looking at the stars?

“Okay,” Vanellope said, “not creepy at all.” Her voice cracked as she spoke. In any other situation, Elsa might have laughed. 

A roar of pain broke the silence. Elsa’s hair raised on end. It was Hans, and the cry was coming from inside Pride Rock. Hans. Malefizel. The lions. Elsa shook her head as the darkness at the edges of her vision threatened to take her. She sprinted towards the gate, Anna close behind. Vanellope blipped ahead in spurts, covering the same amount of ground in seconds. The screams grew louder as Elsa closed in on the cave entrance and leapt up over the rubble into the red-lit room. Please be alive. The stench of blood hung thickly. 

Elsa’s mouth dropped open at what she saw. Hans stood in the center of the room as a hundred of Ursula’s demons threw themselves at him, tearing off chunks of his flesh and sawing through him with their teeth and claws. Was she dreaming? He howled, and clenched his fists. Elsa ducked as a sphere of lightning crackled around him, frying the monsters. He swung his hand out, and five more of the creatures exploded in spurts of gore. 

It wasn’t enough. More of the things found him, biting and tearing and shearing. One latched itself onto the arm he’d just used to attack. Anna took Elsa’s hand in her own, neither of them able to look away. Elsa hadn’t even noticed her arrive. With a final howl of fury, Hans waved his one free hand and a portal opened in the ground beneath him. He fell through. Several of the demons went with him, their back ends sliced in half as the rift shut tight.

Silence returned, deafening. The creatures stopped moving, and some began to putter about aimlessly. They looked at each other, then at the ground. Elsa gulped, and took a step forward. Her foot splashed in a puddle of blood, but the creatures remained still. Safe. Elsa didn’t have the mental capacity to speculate why. 

“Did,” Vanellope said, rasping, “did we win?” Her voice echoed in the chamber before them. 

Corpses littered the ground, lion and wraith alike. The walls were scored with violence, deep gouges running across long stretches of rock. Everything was red. The only movement Elsa saw was a slight shifting from up the stairs. She stepped further into the room to get a better look, and saw Nala and Simba kneeled over a body. A human body.

Elsa took the steps three at a time. She reached Malefizel’s body in seconds, Anna and Vanellope at her side. “Oh,” she said as she looked her over, “Oh fuck.” To all appearances she was untouched, but her breathing was so faint she might as well have been a corpse. 

Nala glanced up at Elsa. In her eyes she could see the bloodshed they’d all just witnessed looping in sequence over and over. “Your friend is alive,” she said. Elsa sighed, and dropped to her knees before her mentor. Her body was shutting down. 

“What happened?” Anna asked. She sat down next to Elsa, and was followed by Vanellope.

“Don’t know,” Simba said, his head in his hands, “she was like this when we found her.” 

“She’s the only good one left alive out here,” Nala said, her voice faint, “All of our warriors fell. It’s just Simba and I and the elders now.” Her words trailed off, and Elsa felt something break in her chest. Her body sagged, and maintaining consciousness was becoming harder by the second. 

It had been a bloodbath. They’d saved some people, sure, but all around them lingered the sight of death. They’d driven Hans off, Lord magic and all, and killed Ursula. And, Elsa reflected, they were alive. She felt like she could see her dream again, clear in the distance. Elsa glanced down at her hands. Not a spot of skin was left under all the blood. Tears welled in her eyes. She had so many questions, so many regrets. She could have done better, saved more of them.

Elsa dropped her head into Anna’s lap. Anna leaned down to kiss her cheek, but Elsa was already on the way out. They’d won.


	21. Anna XIII

Anna wiggled in her seat on the bench across from the elder. She sat at the long table where, just a day before, Malefizel had met with Mufasa and discussed a battle they thought they could win. Already it felt like weeks ago; was combat always like that? The red lanterns cast a crimson din upon the walls, the hall untouched by the carnage. Anna had been doing her best to help clean up the foyer, but with the warriors gone and Elsa and Malefizel bedridden she and Vanellope had their work cut out for them. Her body hadn’t had time to rest. She’d considered using her magic to burn the bodies in the foyer away, but it felt disrespectful to the fallen lions so she’d been digging graves outside the Rock. Dirt clung to the underside of her talons, and she’d ruined her bloodstained jeans and shirt more than they’d already been. She thought she’d hate it, but somehow digging in the dirt was refreshing after all the blood she’d spilled. 

Vanellope sat next to Anna on the bench, her eyes downcast. Anna’s fingers played over her friend’s hand as it rested on the seat. “We’ve got about half the bodies removed,” she said, “but its still slow going.” 

The elder nodded, their eyes masked by long, silvery hair that reached the floor. Several other remaining pride members stood behind them with grave expressions. “Thank you, travelers. For everything.”

Anna muttered in acknowledgement. They’d done their best in a bad situation, but despite their effort the price of survival had been so high. The pride was decimated. Anna knew there wasn’t anything she could have done better; it was an impossible situation in a tiny frame of time, and she only had her instinct to rely upon. Still, people died.

“If there’s anything else we can do, please let us know.”

“You’ve done more than enough, child. In fact,” the elder said, glancing back at their companions, “I believe you ought to be on your way as soon as possible.”

Anna clenched her teeth. “There has to be more we can help with!” she said. Vanellope squeezed her hand. She’d never work hard enough to recoup the loss of life, even if she spent the rest of existence trying.

“The way you can help is by finding Hans Westerguard. We can finish rebuilding the rock in our own time.” And how long would that take with only the elderly and the children remaining? Did old demons even lose their strength? Anna had no idea. 

Vanellope shook her head, speaking up for the first time since the meeting began. “What if you’re attacked again?” 

The elder smiled. “That’s a risk no matter where one stays. Go to the queen, and Hans will come to you.”

“At least let us help until Elsa and Maleficent are good to travel,” Anna said. How long would that even be? Elsa would be up again in hours, but Malefizel? She’d been non-responsive since they found her, her breathing shallow enough she appeared deathly.

“Of course.” The elder spread their hands out on the wood of the table. The skin on their knuckles cracked. 

“I, fuck. Um,” Vanellope said, “I-I know we kinda brought this here, and I’m so, so sorry. But. Thanks for letting us stay here. And for what Mufasa did for us.” Her words trailed off, and she squeezed Anna’s hand. Her legs shook under the table. 

The elder sighed. “He did what was right. You can pay us forward by removing Hans from power.” The demons behind them murmured in assent. “Not all demons will rebel against him as we did. He is, after all, a Lord, and his authority is by all technicalities legitimate.” 

Vanellope grumbled, and crossed her arms in front of her. “This power structure of ya’ll’s really needs a checks and balances system. Hans lands one fast one and everything goes to hell.”

The elder smiled. “Should Hans get far enough, and we pray he doesn’t, he may find the Queen is not so easily dethroned. This is not the first instance of such a thing occurring, and she does her best to maintain the balance.” 

“So what, in the meantime you’re all subject to his tyranny?” Vanellope said, growling. “It’s bullshit. You deserve better leadership.”

“I suppose we do.” The elder closed their eyes, their age accentuated in the lines of their face. How long did demons live, and how many years had this one seen? Anna didn’t think it would be polite to ask. She still new nothing of the people she’d joined. But really, neither did Elsa. 

With nothing left to be said, Anna and Vanellope stood from the bench and left the hall. They strode down the silent corridor, the echoes of their steps carrying far through the passages. Where once Anna heard the bustle of demons laughing, she was now reminded of a crypt.

“Even if we weren’t hunting Hans, the Queen is still the only one besides him who can portal us back to Earth,” Anna said, “looks like our destination remains the same.”

Vanellope grunted in reply. If they knew where Hans was maybe it would be different. Maybe, Anna thought, if everything went to hell they could still get the Queen to return them home. The Underworld would burn, but they’d live. Could she do that? Images of corpses piled twenty feet high flashed through her mind, and she shuddered. 

As Anna and Vanellope passed the sparring hall, Simba and Nala stepped out to greet them. The cubs looked tired beyond their years, their eyes red from crying. They stopped Anna outside the door by tugging on her sleeve.

“Hey,” Simba said. Anna frowned, got down on her knees, and looked into the kids’ eyes. Vanellope hadn’t moved behind her. 

“What’s up?” Anna asked. She failed an attempt at smiling. 

“You’re gonna get Hans for this, right?” Nala asked, looking between her and V. “Right?”

Anna swallowed air. The kids were shaking, both of them, and for the life of her Anna didn’t know what to say. The battle came flashing back to her. Blood slick on her hands. Demons flying at her, mouths open to reveal rows upon rows of teeth. Blasts of fire that dented the horde but did no real damage. Inevitability. She be seeing it in her nightmares. What could she possibly say that would help these children grieve? Anna was accustomed to loss, but not like this.

It was Vanellope who answered. She placed a hand on each of the cubs’ shoulders, and leaned down. “Don’t worry,” she said, “we’ll get Hans for everything he did. For your dad, for your family.” Her voice cracked; hidden under her calm tone was a burning flame Anna didn’t quite recognize. “I promise you,”

Nala and Simba nodded, wiping their eyes, and stepped forward to wrap Vanellope in a hug. The silence of the passage was deafening. Anna watched them hold each other; her insides feeling hollow.

As she and Vanellope made their way towards their rooms afterwards, Anna took her hand. “Hey,” she said, “your magic. How did you figure out how to control it during the battle?” Anna needed to know if she’d be able to control it again for when the next life or death scenario appeared. Not a day after her first bloodbath, and she already found herself preparing for the next. Have to do more, have to save them. God, she was tired. How many more bodies would she have to remove from the Rock? How many times would she find herself crying behind a boulder, puking her guts out? 

Vanellope sniffled, and wiped her nose. Her mandibles clicked as she spoke. “I just kinda tapped in. I felt something and I knew it was where my magic came from.”

“What was it?”

Vanellope turned to face her, her eyes clear and furious. “Ambition.” 

 

-o-

 

Anna approached her shared bed and ran a hand over Elsa’s forehead. She groaned, and opened her eyes. Elsa smiled, exhaustion evident in the lines of her face. “Hey,” she said. Anna sat down on the massive bed, her weight barely indenting it. The red tint of the room hid the bruises and cuts still in the last stages of healing on Elsa’s face. She was resting under the thinnest sheet of the bedspread, the rest of the blankets thrown to the floor. The fabric hugged her every curve, and Anna could easily see the outline of her sex. She swallowed. “H-How are you doing?” Elsa asked her.

Anna shook her head. “I-I feel like I should be asking you that.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Anna nodded. She had to be. “I talked with the elders. We’re leaving as soon as everyone’s good to travel.”

Elsa sighed. “To get Hans.”

“Yeah.” They’d already come so far. Anna had to know whether Kristoff and Jane were still alive, had to see Elsa home safe.

Elsa sat up in bed and the sheet fell off her torso, revealing her full breasts. Despite her blue skin, her nipples retained most of their pink coloring from her human form. A blush crept up Anna’s cheeks. Elsa raised an eyebrow at her. “Too much?”

“N-No, you’re just,” Anna stammered, “Elsa you’re beautiful.”

“You can look.”

“Mm.” She did.

Elsa hunched her knees up to her chest, pushing her breasts up, and wrapped her arms around her legs. “Anna,” she said, “I can’t help but feel we’ve failed here.” Her eyes narrowed, and Anna’s heart dropped. “We came here and this place was massacred.” 

Anna stroked Elsa’s hair, marveling at quickly the short white locks were growing back in. Anything to distract from the memories. “I feel it, too. There had to have been something we could have done better, right? You’re a veteran of this stuff.” She’d been so confident before the fighting actually started, but the battle changed everything. 

Elsa winced. “No.” She shook her head. “Anna, that was my first real fight, same as it was yours. Back in Seattle I only fought demons one at a time.” Elsa begin to tremble. “Before, I won if I lived and lost if I died. But this?” She sucking in breath, and met Anna’s tired eyes. “I’m alive, but I still lost.”

Anna lowered her head. “Oh.” Two amateurs fighting against gods.

Elsa lifted her head from her knees and took one of Anna’s hands between her fingers. Her tone went cold, her eyes darkening. “We have to stop him, Anna.” 

Anna felt a shiver run up her spine. “I know,” she said. “But we have to do it together. It was your plan that got us this far.” She was barely a newborn, and the best fighter she knew was just as scared as she was. 

Elsa frowned. “We’d have lost if it weren’t for your quick thinking. Your magic and heat of the moment decisions.” She closed her eyes. “Hundred of enemies, and all I could do was swing my blades like a child playing with knives.”

Anna kissed Elsa’s hand. “We wouldn’t be alive without you.”

Elsa looked at her. “And we wouldn’t have won without you.”

Anna laughed without humor. “I’m glad we’re both still here, then.” The battle rushed through her thoughts, and Anna’s ears rang. The heat from her own magic seared her skin, her heart hammering. Would it be that close a call the next time? Would she see her death coming, look it in the eye, or would she be fighting her heart out and never see it coming at all, a wall of black descending from nowhere?

Elsa’s touch snapped her out of it. Anna glanced around. Even filled with fire and magic, her skin felt cold as ice. “Anna?” Elsa leaned forward, finding her eyes. “Are you alright?” 

“I think so. Just. Remembering.” She felt lightheaded. Her heart rate kicked up without her even realizing.

Elsa sniffled. Anna’s eyes widened as her love reached both hands out to cradle her face in her palms. She shook, and tears filled her eyes. Elsa cried. “I-I’m sorry,” she said. 

Anna scooted closer on the bed, drawing Elsa into her arms. The woman wrapped her hands around her back, clinging to her like a lifeline. “What?” Their situation felt so reversed; amidst a battle in hell they finally stood on equal ground. “Elsa, what’s wrong?”

Elsa sobbed, loud and ugly. Her tears soaked Anna’s destroyed shirt, wetting the dried blood. She heaved. Anna rubbed circles in her back, afraid. She was so unsure, so raw inside. Her own eyes wet, and she felt herself begin to cry. What were they doing there, fighting in the Underworld? She just wanted Elsa, and Elsa was suffering. She was suffering. “I feel awful, Anna. The entire time we were fighting, I thought I was going to die saving the pride. I thought you were going to die!” 

Elsa looked up into Anna’s bleary eyes. Anna girl bit her lip as she spoke. “Elsa, hey. W-We’re alive.”

“I was prepared to die, if it meant saving those people, but what if you died too?” She shook her head, air whistling out from her clenched teeth. “I thought if I lived, I’d still lose you.”

“Elsa, I’m here.” Anna kissed her forehead. “I told you, we can do anything together.” Before she’d believed it wholeheartedly, like an anthem from the heavens repeating on end in her heart.

Elsa sighed into her chest. They red glow of the lights engulfed them. “I thought it’d be easier to let myself love you now that we’re facing death daily. So stupid. No guilt when you’re on the precipice of the abyss, right?” 

Anna felt her heart burning in her chest. “Elsa, what are you saying?”

“I’m saying its harder, Anna. Because every second I’m terrified some fucked up monster will appear and take you from me.” Elsa pulled away. “I don’t want one of us to die and have the other think we weren’t taking advantage of every second we had.” She rested a hand on Anna’s shoulder, paused, and slid her fingers down to Anna’s collarbone, brushing the skin. Anna’s breath hitched. “Hans is so powerful, I don’t, I just…”

“E-Elsa?” The relaxation of their accepted love and courtship had been replaced by desperation. She could feel it in the air, in her blood. 

“Anna, can I have you? Right now?” Elsa’s cheeks lit up, but her gaze remained firm and steady with Anna’s. 

Anna’s felt her sex pulse, felt fire rushing through her body. She took the hand Elsa had against her chest and stroked the skin with her thumb. “Are you sure?” She’d wait as long as she had to, but how long did they even have? 

The look in Elsa’s eyes was resolute. “I’m tired of waiting for myself to feel better about my guilt when we might not even get tomorrow. I love you.” She smirked. “Fuck the rest of it.” 

Anna swallowed. The muscles in her abdomen flexed. “Okay.” Fuck it, huh? She liked that. In that moment she had Elsa, and she wasn’t going to live a better life worrying about a time in the future when she wouldn’t have Elsa. She leaned in slow and kissed Elsa’s nose. “But if we’re doing this, I want to make sure you’re doing it out of love, and not out of fear.”

Elsa sighed. “Can’t it be both?”

“Of course,” Anna said, “it’s both for me too.” She closed her eyes for a moment. The fear burned, even as she caught her breathing as she used to, as she’d done to control her fire. “Sorry.”

Elsa smiled, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. She found Anna’s ear, and let out a hot breath against it. “It’s okay.” Her hands glided down Anna’s sides, feeling up the swell of her stomach, her waist. “Would you like to have sex with me, Anna?” she asked Again.

Anna dry swallowed, her lust burning away her anguish. “God, yes.” Elsa’s hands reached her thighs and squeezed. “Please, Elsa.”

“Then let me show you how much I love you.”

Anna squeaked as Elsa shoved her onto her back. Her hands found the zipper of Anna’s torn up pants and tugged it open, sliding the jeans down to her knees. Anna rested her hands on Elsa’s shoulders, her breath ragged. Elsa watched the swell of her cock with a magnificent hunger in her eyes. 

“Elsa,” Anna said, “Elsa, Elsa.” The woman was so much smaller than their last time. In heat Elsa had been almost double Anna’s size, but Anna found herself giggling at how similar they now were.

Elsa growled, and dragged her claws down Anna’s thighs. With a tug, she pulled off Anna’s panties. Anna popped out, swollen and heavy. A drip of ejaculate dribbled from her tip. Elsa ran her hands through Anna’s thick fur, tickling the skin underneath the copious hair growth surrounding her groin, and closed her hands around Anna’s thickness. 

“You,” Elsa said, “are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” Anna whimpered. Elsa extended her tongue, longer than any human’s could be, and drew the soft wetness of it up Anna’s length from base to tip. Anna purred, the rumbling filling the room. She felt like electricity. 

“I love you, Elsa.” Anna reached down to where Elsa was, and the woman extended her own palms up to meet her hands, their fingers lacing together.

Elsa smiled. She positioned her lips just above Anna’s tip. Elsa licked the base, the top, sliding her tongue over Anna until she was panting, then stopped. Anna opened her eyes, unaware of when she’d closed them, and looked down. Elsa met gaze, held it, and sucked her up into her mouth.

Anna writhed atop the sheets, mewling as Elsa took more with each bounce of her head. She moaned around Anna in her mouth, swirling her tongue against her underside. Anna could see her rubbing her thighs together, her body begging for friction.

She felt so warm. Elsa drew her lips back up, her mouth opened wide to fit all of Anna, only to plunge back down to take more. She let go of Anna’s hands. Her fingers found Anna’s base and stroked as her head bobbed, her nails clawing through the girl’s fur. In one long stroke, she took Anna into her throat, her lips touching her own hands at the base of the girl’s length. She gagged, but held on, and Anna thought she might burst. Saliva spilled from Elsa’s mouth as her throat held her. Seconds passed. 

Elsa pulled away, her lips dribbling with her own escaping spit and Anna’s slickness. She licked her lips, and Anna groaned. She wanted to take a million pictures of what she was seeing, wanted to spend hours drawing Elsa with sex smeared on her face. 

Elsa pumped Anna with her hand, slick getting everywhere. “Good?” She asked.

Anna nodded. “Y-yes, good, thank you.”

Elsa giggled. “If you liked that, I’m hoping you’ll like this too.”

She sat up on her knees, and Anna watched her breasts rise and fall with her uneven breath. Elsa’s girth strained against the thin fabric of her underwear. She leaned back and slid her panties over her thighs and off her legs, tossing them to the floor. Anna dry swallowed. She clenched the bed sheet in her claws. 

Elsa hefted herself above Anna, her cock bobbing and trailing wetness as she repositioned. Her hands found her entrance at her base and she began swirling her fingers against the opening. Anna watched her shiver, growling as her fingers dipping into her ass. Elsa sighed at the penetration, her eyes lighting up with bliss. 

Satisfied, the woman scooted further forward and positioned her entrance right over Anna’s tip. The girl could barely breath, only able to watch. Elsa pressed down, pushing against Anna’s thickness. Her breath hitched as the head popped inside her, stretching her insides to fullness. Tears welled in Anna’s eyes. She was going to die being ridden by the most amazing person ever, and no one on Earth would ever know.

Elsa lowered her pelvis, Anna gliding up into her. The girl lifted a hand to her face and bit down on her thumb as she whined. Inch by inch, Anna was drawn up into her girlfriend until she was buried up to the hilt. As the last inch was swallowed and Elsa settled her full weight atop Anna’s hips, both women let out a deep sigh. Anna writhed, every tiny moment she made rubbing her cock against Elsa’s hot insides. Elsa looked smug, a wide smile on her flushed face. 

Anna had just gone in, but already she felt ready to come. How much ejaculate did she even have to give when she wasn’t in heat? She guessed she’d find out. Anna imagined Elsa with a full, bloated bell of her discharge, exactly as she had looked after Elsa fucked her into the ground during her heat. 

Elsa placed her hands on Anna’s tummy, and spider climbed them up to her breasts, kneading the flesh through her shirt and pinching her nipples. “I love you, Anna,” she said, “are you ready for this?”

Anna nodded, and seized up as Elsa began to ride her in earnest. She made an attempt to stay quiet, she really did, but she knew when she began that it was doomed to fail. 

 

-o- 

 

Anna woke from restless dreams to the feeling of a hand on her shoulder. She’d been swimming in the red ocean, unable to comprehend something sleeping just below the waves. Elsa dozed next to her, sweat still clinging to her skin. Anna blinked her eyes open and rolled over, expecting to see Vanellope at her and Elsa’s bedside. She jolted awake when she saw Malefizel.

“Holy shit,” she said, pulling the sheets over her breasts as she sat up in bed.

Malefizel wore the same lavender bodice she had the day before, had the same short hair, but everything about her had changed. Her posture was more relaxed, her stance appearing appearing younger. A smile played on her lips, but it didn’t carry its usual accent of wickedness. Anna saw something new in her eyes, a fundamental shift in her being that she couldn’t quite describe.

“Hey, Anna,” Malefizel said, eyes Elsa next to her. “Have a nice nap?” She smirked and waved one hand in the air, her other resting on her hip. Anna felt her nerves crawl.

“Um, hey, uh, yourself.” She did a double take, and checked to make sure Elsa was still asleep next to her. “I’m glad you’re okay,” she said to Malefizel, “what, uh, happened?” Anna had never been more away of how naked she was and how badly she smelled of sex. 

Malefizel chuckled. “That’s unfortunately somewhat of a long story, so I’ll tell you once we have everyone gathered. Can you get up?” Malefizel never phrased such requests as questions. 

Anna cocked her head, her eyes narrowing. A thought struck her. “Um,” she began, “who, uh, am I talking to right now? Maleficent or Rapunzel?” 

Malefizel giggled, and clasped her hands together in front of her. Her smirk transformed into a bright smile. “Got you a bit there, didn’t I?”

“Uh.”

“I suppose it would be apt to say I’m both Maleficent and Rapunzel, but also neither of them.” She twirled a finger in the air, and Anna’s jaw dropped open. “I am a mixture, a new being born of their minds. I know it’s a little ironic, but would you please call me Malefizel?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> toot toot dragon ball z end of saga music


	22. Elsa IX

Elsa gasped as Anna hilted in her from behind. Her breath came in short gasps as she hugged the glowing tree in front of her for purchase. The bark shone turquoise like the hundreds of thousands of other trees in the wood. In the midst of the forest, surrounded on all sides by ferns and brush, Elsa felt the darkness of the Underworld fading away around her. The dark, strange sky was blocked out by the canopy of the firs and oaks that now lit her face and skin.

Anna grunted, and Elsa felt the girl’s talons sink slightly into the flesh on her hips. “Fuck, Elsa.”

Elsa nodded along, her insides churning as Anna pumped into her. She felt the girl’s come spilling down the back of her leg to the forest floor where it mixed with the pine needles and dirt, the remnants of Anna’s last orgasm fucked from her opening by her renewed vigor. Elsa whined as her mind blurred. Her entrance sang sweetly from the stretch of Anna, from the pulse of her come sloshing inside her. Anna chased her climax, ramming Elsa against the tree she held to.

“Anna, Anna they’re going to wonder why we’re taking so long,” Elsa said. She bit down on her hand, her jaw trembling as pressure burned between her legs.

“I’m pretty sure,” Anna said as she thrust again and held herself inside Elsa as deep as she could go, “that they already know.”

“Still. F-for appearances?” Elsa suppressed a moan, her own climax approaching.

“Okay. One more, I’m so close.”

Elsa was unable to respond with words. She nodded, tightening her muscles around Anna in approval and making the girl whimper. Barely a week out from the Rock, and they’d already fucked more times than Elsa ever dreamed they’d get. 

Sometimes Anna climbed atop her in the middle of the night as she slept on the forest floor, and Elsa would gladly raise her bottom for Anna to take. Other times it would be Elsa dragging her girlfriend out into the woods, pushing her down onto her knees with her mouth before the crux of Elsa’s pelvis. Anna would draw her into her mouth without a second thought, hungry for her, and would to lavish her head and length with her lips and tongue. God, it was wonderful. 

The battle broke something inside Elsa, and for all the world she couldn’t bring herself to care about her old worries so much anymore. Was it the woods? The otherness of the Underworld? Why should she deny herself Anna, when Anna wanted her and loved Elsa as much as Elsa did her? Life was too short already even without the constant threat of attack. 

Their departure from Pride Rock lacked the pomp and circumstance she’d expected after their arrival. It wasn’t surprising, given what had happened. They gathered meager supplies and headed off north towards Gothel’s wood. Simba and Nala stood with the elders and waved as Elsa and her companions chained their hands together and were blipped across the plains by Vanellope’s magic. It was the oddest sensation, like being pulled through a wind tunnel in space. Elsa wasn’t sure how Vanellope controlled her trajectory, but the girl transported them seamlessly. 

They’d arrived at the woods in no time; a trip that might have taken them weeks took less than a day. When pushed, Vanellope had been able to blip them half a mile at a time at the furthest. Chained together, those blips added up to a lot of distance and sudden head rushes. By the time they’d reached their destination, Elsa felt like she might throw up. Somewhere along the journey she’d closed her eyes and retreated into her thoughts just to combat the strange vertigo sickness brought on by the teleportation, but still the nausea plagued her. Anna rubbed Elsa’s back as she emptied her stomach into a bush. 

Gothel’s wood couldn’t have contrasted more with the pride lands. The tree line became visible on the horizon like a great shimmering aurora drawn down to the ground. It extended in either direction as far as Elsa could see, the trees massive and as thick around as small buildings in some cases. Upon inspection, she realized it was the bark of every individual tree that gave off the green-blue glow, while the shrubs and leaves retained their usual colors. Elsa was captivated, and ran forward to place a hand upon one of the trunks the second they got close. Walking through the foliage felt like stepping through the misty barrier to a dream filled with light. The red of the ocean had been ominous, and the yellow of the plains had been mysterious, but the forest was calming. Silent, as if asleep and at peace.

The followed Malefizel’s lead into the wood, and opted to walk or jog instead of blipping through the trees. They didn’t know exactly where they were going, but Malefizel assured them she’d know the right path when they came upon it. She walked side by side with Vanellope, the two women in rapt conversation for the entirely of the first day. Elsa and Anna followed closely behind, often holding hands and exchanging glances. Once, they found a rose and had to stop walking to gush over its red and purple petals. Elsa couldn’t stop smiling at Anna. In the glow of the forest, the terror of their quest seemed to fade away. Malefizel prodded them into walking again, but not after they’d stolen a few heated connections. 

The girl was strange. Elsa nearly fell out of bed after Anna woke her back at the Rock and explained what happened. It was surreal to see Malefizel, her mannerisms a mixture of Maleficent’s and Rapunzel’s with a new twinge of something ethereal added in. The party gathered in the main hall around one of the benches, exchanging confused looks between themselves.

“So you’re, what,” Vanellope said to their new companion, “both Maleficent and Rapunzel? The fuck?” she eyed Malefizel with suspicion, a frown on her lips. She sounded more serious to Elsa, and spoke with an edge that hadn’t been there before. 

Malefizel snickered. “In a manner of speaking,” she said, “I’m neither of them, but I have all their memories. It’s fascinating, actually.” Malefizel closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Their emotions aren’t mine, but at the same time I remember and still feel a great deal of love for our friend Jane, as well as a profound loyalty to the Queen. Yet, truly, neither feeling was originally mine.” 

“Okay,” Vanellope said, nodding her head, “then what do you feel about me?” Elsa exchanged a glance at Anna.

Malefizel smiled. “Begrudging respect in addition to a deep affection.”

“What?” Vanellope cocked an eyebrow. “Who’s side is that from?”

Malefizel crossed her arms and smirked. “Not telling.”

“Boo!” 

Elsa leaned forward against the table, finding Malefizel’s gaze. “How’d it happen?” she asked.

Malefizel’s expression turned somber, and her eyebrows knitted together in frustration. She sighed. “It was Hans. He used my old Lord magic to go into my head and destroy the walls separating Maleficent and Rapunzel.”

“Jesus,” Anna said under her breath.

“We need to find Lord Gothel as quickly as possible, for the sake of the Underworld and the lives of everyone on Earth.”

Elsa nodded. Malefizel seemed like a paradox made flesh; she was her old mentor, and also a teenager still learning the ropes of the world, but also someone new. How were they going to explain to Rapunzel’s parents what had happened? To Jane? To Kristoff? In a way he’d lost his sister. Elsa assumed she loved him just as much as Rapunzel had, but what if she didn’t? She couldn’t bring herself to ask. She didn’t even know whether Kristoff was still alive. 

“Um,” Elsa said, catching Malefizel’s attention, “how do you feel about me?” She’d barely known Rapunzel a day, would that even effect how Malefizel felt?

The woman smiled. “I feel some reservations about you, Elsa, but for the most part it’s all warm affection and fondness. That, and pride.” Malefizel set a hand down on the table between them, and Elsa took it. “I’m very, very proud of you.” 

Elsa blushed, and felt a goofy grin spread out on her face. “T-thank you,” she said, her cheeks warm. She was like Maleficent but with more kindness, like Rapunzel but more knowledgeable and confident. Elsa knew she could grow to like her, but at the same time her heart ached with loss. Maleficent was gone, even though she lived on in another form. Seeing Malefizel smile was bittersweet, and Elsa hoped they’d be able to pick up where she and Maleficent left off. Though maybe, if her compliment was anything to go by, maybe with a little more genuine feeling.

“So,” Anna said, “Rapunzel’s kinda dead then, right?” She worried her hands under the table.

Malefizel looked uncomfortable, shifting her weight. “In a manner of speaking.”

Anna dropped her head. “Oh.” Elsa touched several fingers to her thigh. They were joined in their loss, and Elsa was sure Anna was just as emotionally confused by the situation as she was. 

“It’s strange,” she said to Malefizel after a moment, “according to my sixth sense you’re human, just like Rapunzel was, but there’s something else I can’t quite place.”

The girl smiled, knowing. “I was born of strange magic, it follows that I’m not quite the generic human Rapunzel used to be.”

Elsa nodded. “I guess then it wouldn’t be an issue if you were to become a demon?” She glanced at Vanellope, gauging her reaction. She seemed neutral, if not forcefully so. 

Malefizel frowned. “I have conflicted feelings about that,” she said, “I have memories of wanting nothing more that exist side by side with a deep fear of changing my form in such a way. Maleficent and Rapunzel were opposed on that issue, so the topic makes me uncomfortable.” 

“But, you’re not them, right?” Vanellope said.

“No.” Malefizel closed her eyes, and Elsa saw guilt furrow in the lines of her face. “I’ll wait, if that’s okay. The old plan sounds best: should I need to turn, I will.” 

“Sounds good,” said Elsa. The situation hadn’t changed, in some ways. They still had a human to protect, and in the end, it was still that human’s choice. 

“Shit, Elsa!” Anna panted, rutting into Elsa in harsh, uneven strokes. Elsa reached between her own legs and squeezed her thickness in her hand, moaning through her teeth. Anna trembled, and dug her claws harder into the flesh of Elsa’s hips. Elsa felt her come; Anna pulled out to her head and buried herself back in one final time. Air hissed from between her teeth as spurts of her filled Elsa’s insides in globs and stretched her walls further apart. Elsa squeezed her own length and rode her orgasm over the edge, humming in pleasure as her groin burned with heat and warmth. The world fell away, and it was just Anna and her alone in the glowing turquoise forest. No Hans, no death. A dream. 

Shaking, Anna withdrew herself from Elsa with a pop. Clear, silky come spilled down Elsa’s sex and legs, pooling in the moss and leaves underfoot. Elsa fell to her knees, bracing herself against the tree for balance as her body shuddered from aftershocks. She raised a hand to her chest, catching her breath. Anna kneeled down behind her and wrapped her arms around Elsa’s waist, tugging her in tight and nipping her neck and ear. 

“Fucking gorgeous,” she said, “every fucking inch of you.” Elsa blushed, her opening pulsing and already longing again for Anna’s reassuring girth. 

She shuffled on her knees until she was face to face with Anna, her arms around the girl’s neck. Elsa kissed her. She nipped her lover’s lips, nuzzled her cheeks with her nose. “You’re amazing,” she said, “and I love the feeling of you in me.” She rocked her hips, sloshing the bump of discharge swelling her belly as it made its slow way out of her.

Anna giggled, her cheeks pinking. She kissed Elsa’s forehead. “I’m pretty sure you’ve had me in you every day this week.” 

“And I really could do to have it more often,” Elsa husked her voice, and drew her eyelids down slightly, “but unfortunately we’ve kept our friends waiting a tad too long.”

“Yup. We’re gonna get shit.”

“So much shit.”

They stumbled back through the brush, their legs wobbling under them as they giggled and clambered over each other for support. Elsa kissed Anna’s cheek a dozen more times, only for Anna to pinch her butt in reply. She yelped, swatting at the girl’s shoulder like a teenager. They pushed through the trees into the clearing they’d settled in, a small fire burning in the center over tinder and rocks. Vanellope and Malefizel sat beside it, though they didn’t actually need it for warmth. 

A huge shit-eating grin peeled over Vanellope’s face as Elsa and Anna stepped up next to the flame. “Some bathroom break,” she said. 

“Indeed,” said Malefizel as she examined her fingernails, “you made such loud cries I thought you might be in terrible danger! I considered going out to look for you.” She grinned, sheepish. “Though perhaps that wouldn’t have been smart.”

Elsa flushed, and grumbled as Anna helped her down into a sitting position. Vanellope leaned forward, sneering. “Oh, did you hurt yourself?” she said, “maybe like, I dunno, sit on a particularly pointy rock? Your bum a lil sore?”

“Yes, a rock.” said Elsa. Anna laughed and patted her shoulder as she sat down next to her. 

“You dish so hard, but can you take it?” Anna said to Vanellope, grinning, “what were you two up to while we were in the woods, huh?” She winked, “getting to know each other better, perhaps?”

Vanellope and Malefizel exchanged a glance, then scooted closer together. They wrapped their arms around each other, serious expressions on their faces. “Yes, of course,” said Malefizel, “we were having the filthiest of filthy sex.”

“It had everything,” Vanellope said, “tentacles, incest, double ended dildos, the works.”

Elsa frowned, even as her heart warmed with mirth. “Oh god,” she said to Anna, drawing out her words, “now there’s two of them.”

Vanellope cackled, and stamped out the fire. The party set out again through the wood, the glow surrounding them on all sides. Elsa grunted, Anna’s come still heavy inside her. They hiked through patches of bushes and between massive, gnarled trees, their feet sinking into the soft soil of the forest floor. It smelled of pine and wet stone, like pavement after a harsh rain. The woods turned and weaved at every which corner, but Malefizel assured them she knew what she was doing. Elsa brought up the rear supposedly because she wanted to keep guard over Anna, but she knew it was really because she had to waddle slightly every so often as more of Anna spilled down her thighs. The girl stole glances back at her predicament, smirking or licking her lips. Elsa felt heat gather between her legs again. She watched the sway of Anna’s hips from behind, and dry swallowed. How many days had she been walking for, again?

“So,” Vanellope said as they took turns sliding down a bank of ferns, “Mal, I, can I call you Mal?”

Malefizel giggled, and vaulted herself over a downed log covered in thick pink moss. “Yes, that’s acceptable.” 

“Just acceptable?” 

She glanced back at the girl. “Were you hoping I’d be so enthused I’d drop to one knee and propose?” Elsa blinked, taken aback. Anna snickered as Vanellope blushed. Elsa considered interjecting with a quip of her own, but thought better of it.

“You wish.” 

Malefizel clicked her tongue. “Well, I wouldn’t be opposed.” 

“That’s gay.”

“Pot, meet kettle.” Mal leapt up onto a stump, and extended a hand for Vanellope to take. Vanellope scoffed.

Elsa nudged Anna’s shoulder, and the girl looked back at her, a smile on her face. Elsa narrowed her eyebrows at the two flirting women and made a gesture with her hand. Anna sniggered, hand covering her mouth. Vanellope walked past Malefizel, arms crossed and her lips up in a pout. 

“I just wanted to ask,” she said, continuing through the underbrush, “when we win,” and there was no doubt in her voice that Elsa could perceive, “what will you do then?”

Malefizel rubbed her chin. “I’m not sure. I want to become a Lord, of course, but then, well,” she trailed off, and Elsa heard the hitch in her voice. “There’s Jane, Rapunzel’s parents.” She shook her head. “My parents?” Elsa felt her heart ache as the girl spoke, “I suppose I lose either way. I have a legacy to uphold, a role to fulfill here in the Underworld. But, in order to have a human family again, I’d almost certainly have to give that up and submit myself to mortality.” She sighed. “I want both.” 

Vanellope matched Malefizel’s pace, and took her hand. “Hey,” she said, finding the girl’s eyes, “you’ll figure it out.” She smiled.

Malefizel laughed, but it was devoid of humor. A darkness replaced her light tone, thick like pitch when she spoke again. “I suppose I will.” 

Another day passed. Elsa spent the night in Anna’s arms, waking only once to the sound of the girl mumbling fear in her sleep. Elsa smiled, and kissed her awake. Anna grinned at her, and reached down between them to stroke Elsa’s hardness. They made love in the nest of moss they’d built together, the trees glowing around them like a thousand nightlights. Elsa thrust into Anna, relished her warmth and tightness. She had two fingers in the girl’s mouth, Anna’s breath hot against her hand as she took her.

The next morning they found themselves atop a long cliffside, the bottom of the canyon invisible below them. They traced the edge of the crevasse until it ended at a long lake that glowed the same color as the trees. They spent the night on the lakeside, and resumed their training. Elsa sparred with Anna, running her through hand-to-hand combat and controlling her flames better as together they explored the ways their magic could mix. Malefizel was every bit the teacher Maleficent had been, and gave Vanellope no quarter. When they were done Elsa and Anna fell to the ground in a heap, laughing and giggling at the singes of fire and ice in their hair. Anna fell asleep in Elsa’s arms as they looked out over the still glass of the water.

The next day they set out anew, a skip in their step. Less than two weeks ago, they’d nearly died in battle, but that was so far away, so distant. Elsa’s hair was nearly down to her shoulders again, the growth accelerated in her demon form. Anna sat her down in a grove of skeletal trees and braided her hair the way it used to be when they first met while retelling the stories her mother used to tell her when she was a child. The new braid wasn’t nearly as long as the old one, but Elsa was sure it looked well enough even if she couldn’t see it without a mirror. The look Anna gave her when she saw her own handiwork was enough to melt her guts. 

They hadn’t seen many demons friendly or hostile since they arrived in the forest, and Elsa’s body finally felt like it had returned to something resembling normalcy. The small aches that remained even after her wounds healed were gone, her joints taught and strong again. She spent every second with Anna. Talking, laughing, fucking. Days passed, and Elsa woke up on each with the girl nestled in her arms and often smelling of sex. Vanellope and Mal were happy to give them their space; the two of them spent more than their own fair share of time alone at night.

She told Anna the stories of her childhood, the ones she’d been too afraid to detail before. The in-fighting, the bloodshed. She taught Anna how to read stars, even if the stars above them weren’t the ones they knew. Anna told her about the shows she wanted to share, the books she wanted to read to Elsa when they got home. To their home, their manor. 

They would try, Elsa had said. They were trying too well. All pretense of testing the waters had faded that night she rode Anna at the Rock until she was crying her name, unable to speak anything else. Elsa wanted Anna forever. She clutched her own hand to her chest, a small smile playing on her lips as she looked out over a field of grass. Anna spun before her, a dance she’d picked up at one of her foster homes. Theirs was a childish dream, perhaps, and Elsa felt the guilt writhing in her as she realized she was thankful she was lost in the woods as the world ended around them. 

 

-o-

 

After a month in the glowing wood under a sky that never saw day, Elsa and her companions found Gothel’s tower. Malefizel knew the path on sight, a long arc of a trail that ran through the heart of the forest. She ran ahead through the hanging vines and into the little valley Gothel lived in. The rest of the party followed, Elsa hot on her old mentor’s trail. 

Anxiety pumped in her blood as Anna and Vanellope kept pace with her. They’d been in the forest too long, even if their journey had been everything Elsa needed. Hans was so close, she just pleaded he hadn’t acted on any plans yet.

She pushed through the brush and came upon the tower. It wasn’t nearly as tall as she’d expected, and looked worn from decades of age. The trees lit it up blue, not one of them quite reaching the top of it. Malefizel stood below a large window, her hands cupped in front of her mouth. 

“Gothel! Come out!” she called, “Hurry, we don’t have time! Maleficent is here and she needs to speak with you!” 

Elsa reached her, and skidded to a stop. Anna and Vanellope followed, eyes on the dark tower window. Elsa glanced at her girlfriend, checking on her.

“What, nobody home?” Vanellope asked.

Malefizel frowned. “She’s likely out doing her job,” she said, turning to Vanellope, “we need to get up there. Will you carry me?” Vanellope’s cheeks tinted pink as Malefizel spoke. 

Elsa didn’t bother waiting for them. Her mind was ready and steeled for battle, her ice at her fingertips. If she slowed, the anxiety would slam into her back like a freight train. If Gothel really was gone, then they could wait, and she’d deal with her accelerated heartbeat then. She leapt for the window, grabbing onto the banister and hauling herself into the tower. Anna followed, rolling through the opening and landing in a crouch. Her skin glowed, and orange light filled the room.

Elsa’s mouth tightened at what she saw; Anna reeled back, her hands covering her mouth. Dozens of faces hung from the walls. Skinned, with the flesh on the edges burned black. Demons, humans, creatures that looked almost like elves or faeries. Peoples Elsa hadn’t seen before. The room itself was sparse save for some stairs leading up to a loft and a pile of blankets over a couch next to an unlit fireplace. 

“What the fuck?” Anna said. Elsa squeezed her hand, but didn’t hold it long.

“Took the words from me,” she said.

“If this wasn’t horrifying, I’d say I do that a lot.” 

Elsa stepped forward towards the walls and examined one of the faces. It seemed far too clean, too fresh, for what it was. Dust covered the surface of the skin, yet the flesh itself looked just as it would have on a living body. Magic? She heard a thump from behind her as Vanellope and Malefizel appeared on the windowsill. 

“Holy shit,” Vanellope said, stepping down and setting Malefizel on her feet. 

Malefizel stiffened, and quickly strode up next to Elsa. “These weren’t here the last time I visited,” she said. Elsa wondered how long ago that had even been. 

“Any idea where they came from?” Elsa asked.

“Magic of some kind.”

“Dangerous?”

“Unlikely.”

“Well, creepy,” Anna said, “but no Gothel I guess?” She crossed her arms over her chest, and avoided looking at the faces on the walls. 

The blanket pile across the room quivered. Elsa whirled on it, ice forming on her hand in a long, curving blade. She stopped, sword leveled at the worn couch where the blankets sat. A hidden enemy? No. Then, she saw it. It had been so easy to miss before, it blended so well into the mass of blankets and rags. A face, worn like leather, peered out from behind a head of long, brittle grey hair. The demon’s arms and hands were withered away to sticks, their torso a bloated mass of flesh. Bright yellow sores peeked out from behind a dress that Elsa was sure had once been a shade of red.

When the demon didn’t attack, Elsa lowered her blade an inch. “Who are you?” she asked. Her companions stood on either side of her, ready to pounce. 

The creature didn’t respond. Their eyes flicked between Elsa’s party, pupils blacking out their irises. Their hands twitched beside them, their fingers half covered in dried out washcloths. Elsa stepped forward, but it was Malefizel who responded. 

“Gothel?” she asked, fists clenched at her sides. “Is that you?” Elsa started, her breath catching in her throat. It was the best answer, really, but what it implied didn’t sit well with her. 

The demon opened its mouth, and Elsa didn’t see any teeth. After a moment, a long, hollow moan sounded from its windpipe like desert air expelled from deep underground. Dread fell upon Elsa like a wave of water. 

Malefizel kneeled before Gothel, and took her hand between her own. “It’s me, Maleficent. Sort of.” She glanced away. “I mean, not really. I’m Malefizel, but Maleficent is part of me. What happened here?” 

Gothel moaned again, her eyes frantic. Whereas before she’d been still enough to escape Elsa’s notice, with each passing moment her movements were becoming more and more animated. She couldn’t speak, Elsa thought as Gothel moaned again, writhing, but she hadn’t a clue as to why. Was she cursed, or had her body just deteriorated? Elsa shuddered, and lowered her blade. She half expected Vanellope to make some ill-timed quip, but when she looked at the girl she was silent, furious determination written in the sculpt of her face. Anna trembled next to her, so Elsa closed the distance between them and rested her hand on the girl’s shoulder. Anna offered her a sad smile, but didn’t stop shaking. 

“If you can’t speak,” Malefizel said, “can you write it out?”

Vanellope stomped her foot, drawing Gothel’s attention to her. “Was it Hans?” she asked. 

Gothel eyed her, her skin cracking as she moved her face. Slowly, she nodded. Vanellope snarled, and pounded a fist into her open palm. Elsa grit her teeth, and tightened her grip on Anna. Of course Hans had done something. He must have known they’d come for the Lord closest to the Rock, what else could it have been? How far along were his plans? They’d been in the woods far too long. The gravity of the situation was settling in, and Elsa began to feel the dream of the past few weeks crack. Guilt filled her. Not for loving Anna, no, but for even just for a second forgetting their mission and letting herself be happy. If she’d just sped along, if she’d just ignored her own needs like she was always content with doing--

“Gothel,” Malefizel said with renewed determination, “forgot the details. We need to get to the Queen as fast as possible. I’m not a Lord anymore, so I’m asking that you open us a portal.” Her voice broke at the end of her sentence. She grimaced. “Please.” Hunched over, Malefizel looked desperate, the fear evident in her posture. Hans was always a step ahead of them, even when they won. 

Gothel closed her eyes and mouth. Her head drooped, and for a long moment she was silent. Elsa held her breath.

“Please,” Malefizel said, “we’ll get him for what he did to you.” 

Gothel seemed to sigh as her throat rasped once. Her eyes didn’t open, and she shook her head. Elsa was considering alternatives to convincing the Lord when Gothel flexed a creaking hand and a turquoise portal tore open before her. Anna and Vanellope leapt back. Elsa felt her hair tousle in the slight breeze spilling from the rift. She knew what came next. 

Malefizel smiled, and rested a hand on Gothel’s head. “I’ll return, and Hans will be dead.” Gothel didn’t respond, her eyes shut tight. It was unsettling, like watching someone with the very passion to live cut from their soul. 

Vanellope walked towards the portal. “Come on, then,” she said. Her voice had a steel edge, strong and unforgiving.

Malefizel stood, and took Vanellope’s hand. Without hesitation, they stepped through the portal and were gone from sight. Where did their confidence come from? Elsa hesitated, her hands shaking and kneading together. If only she’d been faster. Now she could die. Anna could die. She stared into the swirling energy, the vortex drawing her gaze further in. 

She felt a hand on her back, and turned to see Anna smiling half-heartedly. “Hey,” she said, “are you ready?”

Elsa chuckled. “No. I’m terrified.”

“Me too.” Anna rubbed circles into her muscle. “Those two are something else, you know?”

“I was just thinking that.”

Anna nodded, and leaned in to kiss Elsa’s cheek. Still no reaction from Gothel. “We can do this. Together.”

Elsa considered saying something profound as the clock ticked away. Final words, maybe. Hopes. Instead, Elsa let her tears flow freely as her anxiety wracked her heart. “Together.” She took Anna’s hand, and they stepped through the portal.

Elsa held her eyes shut, and felt rather than saw the swirling tides of cosmic energy engulfing her like a whirlpool. The winds tugged her back and forth, but her hand remained firm in Anna’s. Then it was over. Elsa opened her eyes.

Her heart crumpled at what she saw, and darkness filled the space. Anna squeezed down on her hand, her breath shallow. 

They stood on a grassy hill surrounded by houses with broken down doors and bashed in roofs. Before them was the Queen’s castle, unmistakable. It looked cut from a fairytale, with white brick and tall blue spires atop its towers. Malefizel kneeled in the grass just ahead, her face in her hands and Vanellope at her side. A path of blood led up to the castle gate, which swung broken from its massive hinges. Whole walls of the structure were collapsed, and smoke spilled out from the inside. 

A demon appeared from the darkness of the gate, a blue looking creature with a plume of flame atop their head. Elsa flew into motion grab Malefizel and Vanellope, to get away, but the demon spotted them before she had time to move.

“It’s them!” They cried, pointing. A dozen demons appeared from the inky blackness behind them. “In the name of your new King, kill them all!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> home stretch


	23. Anna XIV

Anna shot toward the castle gate, no time to think. She raced past Malefizel and Vanellope as Elsa tried to haul Mal to her feet. The demons spilled from the front doors, more than 10 but less than 20 in total. Her heart pounded in her chest, pushed up against her ribs as if she might burst. The battle at the Rock flashed through her mind, and Anna bit back the scent of burning flesh that filtered in from her memory. The smell stung. She’d spent so long in the forest, so many magical days with Elsa, and she didn’t plan to let all their training go to waste in the moment of truth. She tossed the invasive thoughts away. 

Anna cried out, and skidded to a stop in front of the demons. Before they could catch themselves she flung out her hand; a wave of purple-green plasma plumed outwards, engulfing the creatures as they stumbled into her line of fire. The demons staggered, and a big one with rippling muscles and a narrow waist went tumbling onto its back.

Anna took a deep breath, and kicked twice in the air. Two blasts billowed outward one after another, burning through the demons and flinging their charred bodies back towards the gate in a heap. The demon with the blue hair stood behind the corpses, unaffected, shrugging off the flame like it was wind. They shirked at Anna, knife-like teeth bared, and charged. She darted back, glancing behind her. 

Malefizel was on her feet, but needed Vanellope and Elsa both to keep her upright. Would Anna get any help? Her lungs filled with the fear built up over a month of anxiety, the fear that woke her in the night and kept her from resting. She snarled, hands clenched, and shot another blast at the advancing demon before rushing in to face them.

She was barely 5 steps forwards when the air shook with a mighty boom. The castle rumbled, and Anna was nearly thrown to the ground. She heard Malefizel fall down into the grass behind her. The demon lurched, and fired a blast of their own, the flame blue and crackling with energy. Anna ducked, the arc missing her by centimeters. Elsa and Vanellope just barely dodged out of range. 

Another boom, and Anna’s ears popped. It came from above the castle, high in the sky. Her opponent staggered at the repeated sound, their eyes bugging, and Anna chanced a look up into the night. Her mouth dropped open at what she saw. Two figures hurtled through the sky, slamming into each other and firing blasts of energy that never seemed to hit. Each time they collided the sky shook, and Anna swore there were sonic cones following their energy trails. One of the figures, she realized, was Hans. His white jacket and bolts of lightning were unmistakable. The other she couldn’t quite place; they were tall and narrow, with billowing black and purple robes and massive dragon wings erupting from their back. Huge, curling horns adorned their head, and were visible even from the distance between them and Anna.

“Anna!” Elsa cried out. Anna flinched, and reoriented herself. The demon swung its fist and socked Anna in the cheek, knocked her onto her back. They stepped in and formed a ball of blue fire in their hand, a grin on their face, but before they could drop it on Anna Elsa shot through the air and knocked them aside. The demon struggled, fire spitting from their mouth, but in a manner of seconds Elsa had her blade formed over her arm and was shoving it up into the demon’s ribcage. They sputtered, light blue blood bubbling from the wound as Elsa jerked her ice knife further into their organs. The demon shook, eyes rolling up into their head, and went still.

Elsa slid her blade from the their guts and stood up, her eyes narrow. “Are you okay, Anna?” The girl was still on the ground, her heartbeat a thousand miles an hour. Distracted, can’t get distracted. 

Anna nodded in response, dusting herself off as she got up. Her legs shook underneath her, and she remembered the feeling of the horde of monsters descending upon her, the only choice left to her fighting until she died. Anna shook her head, her temples throbbing, and glanced back at Malefizel.

“Look!” Malefizel said, pointing at the demons fighting in the sky. She was choked up, relief evident in the way her body relaxed. “The Queen, she’s alive! Hans hasn’t won yet!” Anna squinted as she followed the trajectory of their fight.

The air shattered as Hans and the Queen collided once more. The Queen roared, a hundred bolts of black plasma flicking into existence around her and launching like shotgun pellets at Hans. He waved his hand before his face and ducked into a portal. The Queen glanced at the spot he was to appear at just before he popped out, and a laser erupted from her fingers, blasting him out of the sky as soon as his portal opened again. He growled and caught his fall with another rift, disappearing from sight. He appeared above her, dropping, but she parried his blow with a spear of black lightning. They danced against a backdrop of stars, lighting up the sky. 

“Looks like we weren’t totally late, then,” Vanellope said. 

“We need a plan,” said Elsa, stepping up behind Anna, “and we need one quick.”

Anna looked towards her girlfriend and settled a hand in the small of her back, pulling her closer. She smiled up at Elsa, her teeth bared in an expression that meant to look far more confident than she felt. “You’re the planner, babe,” she said, “what should we do?” 

Elsa swallowed, and glanced at Malefizel. Malefizel nodded. “Anna has the right of it. Tell us what to do,” she said. Another crash from above, and Anna flinched. 

“A-are you sure?” She asked as if she were speaking to a superior officer, which Anna knew wasn’t far off the mark. 

“Yes. Elsa, you’re amazing,” Malefizel smiled, stepping forward to place a hand on Elsa’s shoulder. “You saved us last time, you can do it again.” Her expression turned sad, regretful. “I wasn’t much at the Rock, and given what’s at stake I don’t think I have the head for strategy right now.” Anna remembered how Malefizel had looked when she and Elsa arrived at the castle. The hope was gone from her before she’d even taken the time to survey the situation in full. The sight of her Queen’s palace in flames had been enough. 

Anna’s hand rose on Elsa’s back, and she found her eyes. “You’ve got this,” Anna told her. 

“What’s the plan, demon mom?” Vanellope asked, cocking her head. 

Elsa sucked in breath, and nodded in acknowledgement of her responsibility. A fierce pride filled Anna’s heart as she watched her girlfriend’s resolve cement; it took everything she had not to hug her. Elsa’s eyes became so sharp, so deep. Like fresh snow on a mountain. 

She strode down the hill and out of sight of the castle, beckoning them all to follow. Anna stood to her right as they gathered next to a broken home, arms crossed. She’d been the one to say it, right? They could do anything as long as they were together? Anna wasn’t sure whether that was true, but she wanted it to be. 

“Our original objective was to get to the Queen before Hans attacked,” Elsa said to the group, “the battle’s already begun, so we need to adjust our goal.”

“Yeah, but not by much. We still need to kill Hans,” Vanellope said, her expression stern.

Anna frowned, and resisted the urge to tap her foot to settle her anxiety. “We can’t fight him head on, especially if he can keep the Queen on her toes,” she said, “besides, they’re all the way up in the sky.” 

“So we take the castle first.”

They wouldn’t all be canon fodder like the gate guards had been, and there’d be hundreds more inside. “Could we even do that? With three point five of us?”

“Excuse you,” said Malefizel, an eyebrow raised. 

“That castle is a battlefield,” Elsa said, “we need to be smarter than to just charge in and attack. But Anna’s right, we can’t do anything about Hans as it is.” They all flinched as another explosion of sound broke the air. The Queen had Hans on the run, pelting him with an array of magic as he dove through the sky and between his portals. 

“He shouldn’t able to defeat her,” Malefizel said, her eyes like dagger as she watched the bloody dance, “she’s the strongest demon there is.” 

“By that logic,” Vanellope said, “he shouldn’t have been able to defeat Maleficent, either.”

Malefizel growled at her. The lights in the sky burst like fireworks, and the fighters collided. Elsa rubbed her forehead, visibly straining for focus. Anna wasn’t sure how much longer their fight could last. Eventually someone had to give. Elsa began to pace, muttering to herself as she walked, and Anna watched her every step, her heart growing tighter in her chest.

“We don’t know the situation inside,” Elsa said after a minute, “but Vanellope’s magic allows us to get around quickly. If we all go in, not to attack but to distract and draw the enemy’s attention, it could give the remaining royal guard members the upper hand they need.”

Malefizel nodded in approval. “That could work. And if they’re all dead?”

Elsa closed her eyes. Another crack in a sky thick with stars and smoke. “Then we fight, and do our best to take care of as many of them as we can while Hans is occupied.”

“And if he joins in?” Vanellope asked. Elsa glanced away, holding one arm to her chest with the other. Anna stepped forward, her memory of the last battle overwhelming her thoughts. 

“He’s not unstoppable,” she said, “even for us.” The cave came rushing back, Hans and the hundred wraiths, clawing and screaming. “Hans can’t use his magic if he’s distracted. He needs half a second to ready it, or he would have destroyed all of Ursula’s creatures the second they turned on him. He can be surprised.” 

Elsa gave her a smile, and Anna’s heart warmed. “That’s good,” she said to her, “he’s not invincible.” Anna watched Elsa’s mind work behind her eyes, and swore she could see her idea lightbulb glowing brighter with each passing second. Then, it clicked on. “Vanellope,” Elsa said, “you go in and sweep the castle for survivors, then report back.” Vanellope nodded, no question. “When you come back, you and Malefizel will stay outside the castle and watch Hans. If any enemies appear, do you best to remove them quietly. Hans is your absolute priority. If he disappears for more than a few seconds, assume he’s come after Anna and I inside the castle and blip to us as fast as you can. He won’t know exactly where we are, so we’ll have a few seconds.”

And when he found them, they’d fight for their lives, with or without Vanellope’s warning. Anna swallowed. “So we’re going in?” She asked. 

Elsa’s face contorted, a mixture of pain and resolve. “Yes. We take the castle.”

“And if there aren’t any guards left?”

“Then we account for that after Vanellope reports it. We come up with something else.” 

Anna felt like a child again, facing off against a beast she couldn’t see the end of. Its bulk stretched out on the horizon, the ends invisible. One way or another, Anna hoped this would be her last battle. She’s seen enough violence for a lifetime already, and knew what it felt like to look death in the eyes. They’d win, or they’d die. 

“Okay,” she said to Elsa. She steeled her heart, dragging the depths of herself for anything she could use to hold her soul in check. Another explosion above, and Anna wondered how much Hans’ blows would hurt. 

“I suppose it’s my turn, then,” Malefizel said to the group. She was looking at the ground, her brow tight in concentration. “Do we still have that heart? At this point, I’ll only be a liability while human.” Right. Of course. If there was ever a time…

“Are you comfortable with that?” Elsa asked her.

“No,” Malefizel said, crossing her arms, “but I’ll get over it if it means all of us get to live.” Anna felt her chest warm, and offered Malefizel a reassuring smile. She was thankful, even if she didn’t think their chances of making it through could get that much higher. 

Malefizel returned her smile, then stepped into Vanellope’s open arms for a hug. Anna looked to the sky as Elsa rummaged through their single shared bag for the leathery organ. She remembered the galaxies she saw when she turned, the light in her veins. The visions of battle swelled once more, bloody and loud and furious, but she willed them away and tried her best to think of memories of home. 

 

-o-

 

Anna held Malefizel up by the arm, holding her weight as she stretched the brown and gold wings that had blossomed from her back. They were identical to Maleficent’s save the color, and where the old Lord had six wings Malefizel only had two. Her horns curved back out of her head and angled slightly inward, her hair ruffled from the transformation. Anna kept looking between her and the fight in the sky, which appeared to have evened out somewhat. Thankfully, Hans hadn’t noticed them yet.

“You okay?” Elsa asked, holding Malefizel’s other arm for support. She nodded, her breath ragged as she got her balance.

“I think so,” she said, “nothing that new.” Malefizel coughed, and covered her mouth with her hand. Hans was knocked from the sky and collided with one of the castle towers, bringing the structure down on top of him. A plume of smoke bellowed out from the castle gate as the stones settled.

A spark of green light blipped out of the dust cloud and homed in on Anna and her companions. Vanellope appeared out of the blur of her magic in a low crouch. The crack of cobblestone rang out as Hans shot from the rubble of the castle tower and hurled a bolt of lightning at the Queen. As soon as it was off he reached for her and clenched his fist to crush her with his Lord magic, but the Queen batted the lightning away and waved her other hand in a circle. A glass shield appeared before her, and shattered instantly as it took the blow of Hans’ magic. She rushed forward, pushing through the air on her great wings, and slammed into Hans with one fist extended. Another boom, rolling like thunder.

“Okay, so,” Vanellope said, stepping forward to help Malefizel balance as she reoriented. Her face was a shade or two paler than it had been when she left, and Anna moved aside to let her in. “Lots of corpses. And, uh, demons. The bad kind.” She swallowed. “There’s a group of survivors on the second to top floor, by the Queen’s chambers. The royal guard is protecting them, but. Well.” Anna could easily imagine how that sentence ended. They weren’t doing well. 

Elsa nodded. “I understand. Can you handle Malefizel on your own?”

“I’ll be up in a minute,” Malefizel said, coughing again, “just, just give me a second. Her wings shuddered, and flapped once behind her. Vanellope stroked her cheek in reassurance. Anna would have thought it adorable, had the situation been different. Maybe when it was all said and done she’d finally have time to be happy for her friend. 

“We’re gonna rock this,” Vanellope said. Another explosion in the sky; no one bothered to look. 

“Okay,” Elsa said, “you’re up, then.” She stepped away from Malefizel, and settled her full weight on Vanellope. She turned to Anna. Her eyes were brimming with emotion, and there was so much Anna wanted to say that she didn’t have time to express. It hurt, like stones lodged in her heart. “We’re not ready for this, I know,” she said, “this is both of our second battles, and they need us up there. Will you help me?” She extended her hand. Anna hesitated. She knew that if she said no, Elsa wound find a way to liberate the castle alone. Somehow. 

There was no way to be ready for battle. Nothing could prepare anyone for the things they’d seen and fought. Time slipped through Anna’s fingers like sand, lost forever as people died in the castle before her. “Let’s go,” she said, and took Elsa’s hand.

With a step they were off, no time to think, no time to regret. Only the fight. There was one way home, and to get there they had to win. Anna and Elsa leapt over the grass hill and landed before the broken castle doors, the charred corpses of Hans’ followers at their feet. Elsa swung her hands, and her blades formed. Her ice grew further than Anna had seen before, the swords jagged and emotional as if cut from the winter itself. Anna could see Elsa’s breath in the air as they darted through the front gate and into the depths. 

Lanterns of shining blue water lined the hall, illuminating the torn tapestries on the walls and stained carpets littering the floor. The entry hall was bare, with high walls, arched ceilings, and corridors branching off in every direction. At the very back, Anna saw a spiral stone staircase leading up. Her heart seized, hands twitching with destructive magic, but she didn’t see any demons about. Elsa bolted for the stairs, not even bothering to check the other passages. The direct route. Anna followed hot on her trail, her feet pattering on the cold stone below. They flew, taking four or five steps at a time, up and up and up.

The stairwell spit them out on the third floor. Anna peeked her head out the doorway and saw another stairwell on the other end of a long hallway, this one far less grand than the cathedral downstairs. Still no demons. Cracks and explosions sounded through the air, distant and muffled by the walls of the castle. Anna glanced at Elsa, who nodded. They sprinted for the next stairwell. No time, no time. 

Anna got halfway down the hallway before something huge and heavy slammed into her side. She gasped, and smacked into the closest wall, cracking her head on the stone. 

“Anna!” Elsa turned on her heel and dove in front of her, blocking a heavy blow with her blades. She grunted, her tail swinging wildly behind her. 

Anna shook her head, her vision doubling. She staggered to her feet, feeling in every bone the drip drip of sand. Her side swelled in a bruise, purple and pink through the holes in her shirt. She looked at Elsa, offered a faint smile—don’t panic, we have to focus, I’m okay--and turned to face the creature that attacked her. 

It was gargantuan, filling nearly the entire hallway with its coiling bulk. The demon resembled a snake, impossibly long and scaled, with a human head and skin flaps like a cobra’s. Twelve human hands spilled from its open mouth, flailing and grasping from arms that had far too many joints. Its eyes were blank, and as her vision cleared Anna wasn’t sure whether the demon even had eyes the sockets were so pitch. 

It reared its head back and snarled, the arms in its mouth undulating like pulsing flesh. Anna didn’t give it another chance. Don’t think. She leapt forward and threw her hand out, feeling the energy of galaxies in her heart and blood as rainbow fire erupted from her hand and hurtled towards the creature’s face. 

The snake dropped its head, evading the flame. Elsa launched herself at it, using Anna’s plasma fire as a cover for her attack. Anna was already firing off a second volley as the demon slunk back and out of Elsa’s attack range. It surged forward at the last second to strike Elsa in the stomach with a whip of its massive tail. She went flying, rolling across the floor back towards the stairwell they came from. Anna hissed, eyeing her girlfriend just long enough to make sure she was still moving. Even that was too much.

Her hands danced in front of her as she leapt to the side, dodging a swipe of the creature’s tail. A geyser of flame shot from both of her hands into the demon’s side. The monster screamed, a sound that sounded far too human for the shape of its body, and barreled towards Anna. The arms in its mouth extended out like feelers, emerging from within the creature and revealing their full length.

They grasped for Anna, who blasted off several shots before ducking back. She smacked away one hand, and burned away another. A stray feeler latched onto her back where she couldn’t see, gripping the fabric of her shirt and jolting her into the air.

Anna raised her hand to fire another blast when six of the snake’s arms slammed into her stomach, pummeling her in turn like a shotgun of fists. She wretched, her concentration cracking from the pain. She kicked up, arcing a thin sheet of fire through the hands and into the ceiling. The hands backed away, largely undamaged. Anna felt others grab hold of her legs and other arm, pulling her taught in the shape of an X. She struggled, writhed. Up close she could see the inside of the thing’s mouth, the arms disappearing down its black, fleshy throat. Anna seized up, the memory of hundreds of wraiths stampeding towards her filling her vision and snuffing out her breath. She heard a crack as the monster’s tail whipped through the air and collided with her shoulder, slamming her straight down and into the floor. The brick cracked under the force; Anna saw stars. 

The hands grasped her again. Anna felt herself being hauled up, her body a tangle of pain. A scream echoed from down the hallway. Anna heard Elsa lunge forward and swing, and she fell again to the floor as the arms holding her were severed. The beast shrieked, knocking itself against the walls in agony. 

Elsa hauled Anna up, her breathing faint. She wanted to hug her, thank her. Without meeting Elsa’s eyes Anna whirled on her foot and charged at the thing, her shoulders, back, and ribs singing with hurt. Were her bones broken? She launched herself, flame erupting from her feet and carrying her through the air. She soared past the monster, getting behind its flank, and spun, filling the hallway behind it with flame. It lunged for her, its human lips twitching as its tongue-arms flailed. 

Anna kept her distance, lobbing javelins of energy at the creature. Some struck, most missed; its skin burned where her magic hit home. It slithered after her, closing the space. She had its attention.

Before the demon could attack again Anna saw Elsa leapt on its back. It howled as she sprinting up the length of its back with her blade buried in its spine. She filleted the demon, screaming at the top of her lungs as blood shot out and splattered her face. 

The monster gurgled, unable to turn. Its motions became erratic as Elsa closed in on its head, leaping forward the final few feet and extending her ice blade in midair as she swung. Her magic cut through its scales, once, twice; its head lolled from its body. The behemoth collapsed with a thud. Blood spilled over the carpet as both head and body twitched in death. Elsa hopped off its back, landing in a crouch. Anna smiled despite herself, extinguishing her wall of flame and jogging over to her. 

Elsa panted, her breath heavy as Anna approached. “Are you okay?” Anna asked, stopped in front of her girlfriend and reaching up to wipe the blood from her face. 

Elsa grunted as she leaned into Anna’s touch, her eyes closing. “I’ll live.” Her skin was even bluer in the light of the watery lanterns. 

Time slipped away. Anna took a moment to finish cleaning the blood from Elsa’s face. Bags hung under her eyes, weary and tired. She looked older, her skin mottled with Marks that Anna couldn’t clear away. She frowned, and kissed Elsa’s cheek. You don’t have time, you have to go. Her hands lingered on Elsa’s face. 

“We have to leave,” Elsa said.

“I know.” She dropped her gaze to the floor. “Okay.” 

Anna stepped back, her palm cradling her bruised ribs. She’d sting worse than ever before when the ordeal was over. “Can you run?” Elsa asked. Anna nodded, and followed Elsa as she darted for the stairs. They moved slower, more methodically as they traversed the long hallway. Anna felt her pain slowing her movements, dulling her reaction time, and knew Elsa was experiencing the same even as she tried to hide it. 

As they reached the halfway point on the stairwell Anna began to hear the chaos of battle on the floor above, cries and clangs and curses. Don’t think. Flight after flight, the noise grew louder. When Anna reached the top a step behind Elsa, her eyes watered at the sight of the mess before her. A great tree, solid like oak and black as night, stood in the center of a large circular room. It had its own mound of grass and dirt, and Anna thought it might have once been the center of a garden. Everything that surrounded it was a blue of motion. Bodies piled on the floor were crushed underfoot as demons fought a messy battle. Claws, wings, and tails flew through the air, bodies colliding and rolling into the walls. Blood spilled onto the floor, smacking as a hundred feet ran through the puddles. Anna held her stomach, focusing on a distant dream to control her nausea. 

The royal guards were easy to pick out; they all wore the same white and purple robes, each tailored to their specific body type. Anna watched as a foul-looking demon with a hook hand and mustache impaled a guard resembling a large, hunched werewolf. The demon tore their weapon from the guard’s chest, only to step backwards into a fight between a blue goblin and a short green creature with one eye. The goblin latched onto the hook-demon’s leg, tearing the flesh from their calf. The duo toppled to the ground, lost from sight and buried by the hundred similar scenarios playing out before Anna’s eyes. Don’t think, just feel. Keep it together. She glanced at Elsa, who didn’t look much better. A cold sweat had broken out on her brow, her eyes wide with subdued terror. 

Within the flurry of bodies, Anna could see the next stairwell at the other end of the room. It seemed to be the final defense, for it was guarded on all sides by what appeared to be a massive bear, a long, red dragon, and two feminine-looking demons armed with a bow and sword. A unit of demons lunged at them, nagged their defenses, but time and again they battered them back, lopping off claws and heads and tentacles. 

“This would be what Vanellope mentioned,” Elsa said, “the Queen’s chambers are probably right above us.” Anna nodded, eyes scanning the room. The bow-demon by the door launched an arrow through the eye of a creature that looked like a tiger, felling them. As they reached back for another arrow a long, sharp tendril shot out and gashed their arm. The guard with the sword lunged at the assailant, but their friend was already hurt. They couldn’t last forever. 

“Those guards are protecting whoever’s upstairs,” Anna heard her own voice harden as she said the words, “if we end this battle, we save them, too. From there we work back down and secure the castle.” If Hans showed up, they’d deal with that then. She just had to trust Vanellope would come through. 

“Sounds good.” Elsa frowned, and said, “stay close, and cover me.” Anna watched her gaze follow the flow of battle as if it were ocean waves rising and falling. Bodies fell to the ground, bloodied and mangled. One way or another, it would be over soon. 

Anna swallowed. “Okay,” she said. Trust. Steady breath. One step at a time. 

Elsa crouched, blades extended at her sides, and found her first target. Anna saw the change in her posture, the flick of her tail, as she locked onto her prey. The woman sprang forward from the shadows, startling the demons fighting on either side of the doorway. She swung herself towards a tall, impossibly thin demon with a skull for a head. Her ice found their legs, and they toppled. Before they could scream her blade burst from the back of their head, impaled. 

The change in the atmosphere was immediate. The fighters reeled, trying to gauge what side the newcomers were on at the same time as they were scrapping to keep their heads atop their shoulders. Anna followed, blasting the insurgents with galaxy-colored plasma before they could get their bearings. Elsa leapt to her next target, latching onto the head of a massive green ogre with the talons of her feet and plunging her blades repeatedly into their face. Anna danced along her trail of destruction, spitting plumes of flame at anyone who came close. Elsa hopped from target to target. The guards caught on, and began to route the enemy towards Elsa and Anna, their vigor restored at the sight of reinforcements. The bear-demon charged forward, swatting a skinny black and white furred demon to the floor and descending with jaws open. The bow-demon rode atop the bear’s back, sniping anyone who got close. 

Anna spun where she stood and launched a pillar of flame into the face of a great blue haired creature lunging for her, singing its fur away. Elsa wheeled in a sharp arc and spun in the air, lancing deep claw marks across their face before bringing her blade down on their neck. She leapt from the corpse and weaved up next to Anna, pressing her back against her own. 

“Good?” Elsa asked, out of breath.

“Peachy!” 

Elsa coughed a laugh out, then ducked and sliced the feet off another demon, this one salamander-like and purple. Anna punched in its direction, cooking its body against the floor. Elsa and Anna spun like a top from the center of the swarm, butting into fights between guards and insurgents to turn the tide before diving into the next encounter. The started no fights, only finished the ones going south for their allies. The guard moved in around the edges, pinching the enemy between their own attacks and the whirlwind of the two women. 

Anna paced her breathing as best she could, but her muscles ached, her bones crying out in pain. She was dodging blows and magic like her life depended on it, ignoring the injures she’d sustained while fighting the serpent downstairs. Her vision clouded a few times, causing her shots to miss. She took a stray blow to the head, but caught herself and incinerated the enemy before she could hit the floor. 

Sustained battle wasn’t a good idea for the best of fighters, and sooner or later she knew she’d make a mistake and she’d die. Or Elsa would die, or maybe they’d all die. The biting, cold terror of that possibility kept Anna on her toes, fighting back at her body’s limitations with the same ferocity that she fought the enemy. How many people had she killed? How many demons of different lives, different walks, all gathered under Hans’ banner? It didn’t matter. So long as they were willing to kill and destroy for power, so long as they fought to subjugate, she’d fight them. It wasn’t a thought Anna ever suspected to have.

A fighter? Her? No. She was a girl who stole hormone meds to transition, who hated every family she’d ever had except the first one. She cried at night from panic attacks, and sometimes wondered how long it would be before she ended up on the street. She wasn’t a warrior.

Elsa was a warrior. She cleaved through a battlefield like a butcher knife, a trail of blood and bodies in her wake. As she raised her hand and burned the flesh off a demon’s face, Anna cried out in her heart and wondered how Elsa could go from enemy to enemy to enemy, cutting them down like paper. Elsa lopped the leg off a demon with three long, snaking heads, and Anna finished the job with flame. Her skin burned from the heat of her own magic, pins and needles holding her frail body together from bursting apart at the seams. 

She’d fight. For Maleficent, for Rapunzel. For the pride, for the Underworld. Her vision flashed, and Anna saw herself in a sports car with Elsa, the top down as they hurtled through the desert of the American southwest. They laughed, and sang to their favorite shitty music. They might have had rings on their fingers, they might have not. Anna supposed it didn’t really matter. They kissed as the sun shone down on them, bright and strong.

She’d fight for herself. For the others, for both. It was always both. Anna let out a war cry as she launched herself into the air, fire and power bursting from her feet. Her flames came furious, angry like they’d never been. She fought to keep control of her trajectory, and held herself in mid-air above the tree at the center of the room. She wanted to live. End the fighting, go home. 

Anna followed Elsa with her hand as her lover cut a hole in the enemy, burning a path of fury in her wake. The enemy numbers were thinning, and the battle turned. She felt it like a shift in the wind. Her five tails waved behind her, excited. That was when she heard it.

A bellowing from behind her. She whirled, pulling her arm back to her chest. A smaller battle raged amidst the chaos: one figure warded off four guards with a massive red and white trident, swords of darkness flinging from its tips. One of the bolts caught a guard in the shoulder, and they shrieked as the flesh melted off their skeleton into a thick puddle on the ground. A portly guard leapt forward, their fleshy, writhing arm forming into the shape of a cannon and firing a ball of magic at the figure. The enemy was tall and narrow, with a long, billowing red cloak obscuring most of their body. They dodged the ball, and stepped in with the trident, impaling their attacker on its prongs. The body melted, sludge and viscera slopping off the weapon and pooling around their feet. 

How had Anna not noticed the trident wielder before? No, stupid. The rush of battle, the flurry of magic, blows, and blood? Of course they’d escaped her eye, and now that they were weaning out the crowd the more resilient of Hans’ forces would be the only ones remaining. 

Anna glanced to her right and saw Elsa cutting away, dropping weaker demons like flies as they fought off the royal guard. “Elsa!” Anna cried out. Her love’s eyes found hers, and Anna pointed at the hooded demon as they speared the remaining guard with their trident, melting them away. Elsa changed direction, vaulting herself off the body of a fighting demon and landing closer to the trident wielder. 

Anna fired immediately, whipping a bolt of flame at the demon as Elsa lunged for their throat. They threw their trident up just in time, and Anna’s eyes widened as she watched her flame bounce off an invisible barrier before the weapon. Her blood ran cold as Elsa closed the distance and swung. 

The demon ducked, unable to use the trident while the shield was up. Elsa caught the hood of their cloak, shearing it away. She dropped into a crouch, letting the demon gain some distance. Their hood gone, Anna could clearly see the bleached skull that was their head, tiny red specs of light glowering in the darkness of their eye sockets. Two horns like gnarled roots sprung up from the sides of their head and bent inward as if to resemble a crown. 

Anna spun, blasting several demons about to strike finishing blows on her allies. She turned back to the horned demon, snarled, and soared through the air on her flames towards them. Elsa waited until Anna was above her to strike. Anna didn’t want to give the demon time to think, and pelted them with a rain of fireballs in all hues of the color spectrum. They erected their shield again, blocking the worst of it, and without taking the barrier down formed a ball of dark pitch in their free hand.

Elsa dove in as another demon lunged for her back with a broadsword larger than the length of their body. Anna kept up her fire, pushing the horned demon into a defense as Elsa closed the distance. Their hand flicked, and a dozen bolts of black light sang through the air. Anna dropped to the ground in a second, hiding under the arc of the magic arrows. The stray bolts hit guard and insurgent alike, melting them all to sludge in seconds. Anna’s mind raced as she rose into the air again; could she come down on them from above, like with Ursula? No, they were too focused on her and Elsa, they’d see them coming and catch her vulnerable in mid-air. 

Anna dodged another volley, and raised her hand in a fist. The horned demon’s shield came down as Elsa approached, forced to parry as her blades nearly lopped their head from their shoulders. Anna threw out her hand in a burst, raining meteors down onto the battlefield. 

Elsa dropped and spun, both her blows parried by the horned demon. They raised their free hand to strike her with magic, but Anna was already on top of it, splashing a continuous stream of glittering energy at them and forcing them to dodge out of the way. Elsa closed in again, and the demon swung at her head. She parried with one blade and swung in with the other, cutting them across the chest and splattering black, inky blood onto the floor. Anna fired another blast. The demon drove their trident into the ground before them, blocking the fire with their shield and leaving both hands free. Shrieking, they swung out their hands and threw two dozen dark arrows at Anna and Elsa.

They came fast; Anna ducked under the spray. She skimmed along the ground like a fighter jet over water, capitalizing on the second it’d take them to cast again. Anna pulled up from the ground at the last second, engulfing the demon behind their own shield in an uppercut of astral fire.

Anna’s ears rang. She barely heard the demon’s howl as her flames billowed about them. Their bone cracked, brittle, and they were devoured cloak and all by Anna’s magic until there was nothing left. Anna felt a weight slip off her heart. She dropped to the ground, disengaging her foot rockets. The trident stood, barrier still erected. Anna eyed it a moment, and was surprised when it didn’t seem to disappear with the demon.

She surveyed the battlefield to find the fight won. The last of Hans’ invasion force had thrown down their weapons or died in a last ditch attempt to clutch victory, their blood spilled near the base of the tree. The guards were reporting to the bow and sword wielding demons guarding the stairwell, both of which were battered and bloodied but still standing. Dozens of glances were being cast Anna’s way, all wary. Anna hardly cared. Her shoulder’s sagged, and she nearly collapsed. To the best of her knowledge, they’d completed step one, and Hans hadn’t even shown up. With the way her blood was pounding, she didn’t feel like she’d accomplished anything. Focus. The fight is still ahead. 

It was then that Anna’s ears adjusted fully to the newfound quiet, and she heard Elsa sobbing. Anna stopped. The sound sent cracks of lightning down her spine, and she whirled to where she’d last seen her girlfriend. She’d dodged that last attack, right? Anna had seen her dodge, hadn’t she? Hadn’t she?

Elsa was on her knees, some distance from where the horned demon had burned. She was clutching something to her chest, and Anna realized belatedly that it was her left arm. Her forearm was gone, lopped off in a clean slice just below the elbow. 

Anna nearly collapsed, everything inside her was burning with rage and pain. She shot forward, dropping to her knees again at Elsa’s side and grabbing hold of her shoulders. The guards around flinched, as if they expected her to attack them. Anna didn’t care. 

“Elsa! Elsa! Hey!” Elsa looked up at her, eyes red and puffy. Up close, Anna could see that Elsa’s stump was frozen over, preventing any blood from escaping. Her remaining ice blade shone red, her severed hand just as frozen as her stump on the ground next to her. The pieces came together. “Oh, fuck, oh fuck,” she said, her voice raising, “the skeleton guy’s bolts.” She hadn’t seen her dodge. 

Elsa nodded, whimpering as she clutched her limb. “A-Anna, I,” she heaved, her breath shallow. Was she in shock? “I couldn’t think of w-what else to do. I saw how fast it killed those others, I just. Fuck.” She shut her eyes, her teeth grit. 

“Shh, hey,” Anna kissed both of Elsa’s cheeks, lingering for a moment on each, “you did what you had to. You’re alive,” she’d nearly lost her, “thank god you’re alive.” She couldn’t lose her. Focus. Anna’s mind tumbled, wild. 

Elsa leaned forward, and pressed her forehead to Anna’s. “Y-yeah. W-We did it.” She shook against Anna, her skin cold. 

Anna swallowed, afraid to voice her fear. “The arm will grow back, right? Demon healing?” It sounded more desperate than she’d intended it to sound. As long as Elsa was alive, as long as they both got home. If they got home. 

Elsa swallowed. Anna heard movement and glanced to her side, where several of the guards were approaching them. The adrenaline hadn’t died in Anna, and her heart still beat like her hands were busy taking lives. “I-I think so?” Elsa said, “I’ve never lost a whole limb,” she grabbed the fabric of Anna’s shirt, “Anna, I can’t fight like this.” 

But she had to. They both had to. “No, no. We’ll figure it out. I promise.” They didn’t have time to recover from anything, they had to keep moving. The fire in her blood was all that kept Anna from collapsing into unconsciousness. “You can still make an ice sword, right? A new forearm?”

“Maybe?” Elsa shook her head. “Fuck. I-I’ll have to try.” Do or die.

Anna offered a small smile. “That’s my girl,” she said. It was all she could do. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—force Elsa, even amidst the reality of the situation. Kindness. Focus. 

Elsa sniggered. “Cheeseball.” 

“Excuse me,” a voice said from above them. Anna glanced up, and saw the sword-wielding demon with the great, serpentine red dragon standing at her side. “Thanks for helping out in the battle. My name is Mulan, captain of the royal guard. Might I ask who you are?” 

Anna was silent, eyeing the newcomer. Mulan was scaly, like their dragon-shaped companion. But where the other was bright red, Mulan had a green sheen and a far more human-like appearance. “I’m Anna,” Anna said, pulling Elsa’s weight onto her shoulder, “this is Elsa, we were sent by, uh, Maleficent to help out.” They had allied, they had options. Think, Anna. 

Mulan’s eyebrows shot up as surprised rippled through the gathering crowd. “Maleficent is alive? How?” 

Anna hefted herself to her feet, hauling Elsa up with her. Elsa coughed, shifting off of Anna’s shoulder and standing on her own. “Thanks,” she said quietly to Anna. She shuffled, looking very much like she didn’t quite know how to hold her weight anymore.

“A body snatching spell,” Anna said, “she’s here, outside the castle.” 

“That sounds like her,” Mulan said, “can you call her? We need to regroup. Now that the invasion force has been defeated, we need to take care of Hans.” 

“Agreed,” said Elsa. Her confidence was returning to her voice and posture. 

Anna was about to respond, when a thundering explosion rocked her to her core. Her hand found Elsa’s wrist instinctively as both women looked around for its source. Mulan began shouting orders to their guards, beckoning them into formations. Anna took a step and the castle shook, nearly throwing her to the floor. So much louder than before. She held onto Elsa for balance, then dropped into a crouch to lower her center of gravity. Hans was still fighting the Queen, but they were so close. 

Another explosion, and Anna heard rock and stone crumbling. The castle shuddered. Guards did their best to retain their footing. Closer this time. Anna looked around, how could it be getting closer? Another explosion, another. Her grasp on Elsa’s wrist lowered and their fingers twined together. 

The entirety of the room cracked and thundered as the ceiling caved in. Anna cried out, gripping Elsa tight as she ignited flames around her feet and flung them both away from the blast. She toppled onto the floor, unable to land on her feet.

Something hurtled through the opening in the floor above, slamming into the tree and sending shards of bark scattering through the room in all directions. Smoke billowed up. Anna closed her eyes, blinking back tears. Elsa was wobbling on her feet, her balance off from the loss of limb. Something resembling a hand froze in ice in place of her lost arm, a blade extending out from where her wrist had once been. 

Anna groaned, pain lancing through her. She staggered to her feet, still holding Elsa’s hand. The two women exchanged a glance, the love between them undeniable. Anna hurt like someone had left knives in her body after surgery. Her entire body was a bruise. Several of her bones felt cracked. She wouldn’t be useful for much longer. 

Anna locked her bleary eyes on impact site. The dust rolled from the center of it. Pieces of it cleared as Anna caught her breath, leaving other areas still obscured. A figure came into view. Anna grit her teeth in panic as she saw who it was. 

The scene became clear. Hans stood above the Queen, her wings mangled, her chest barely rising. His clothes were destroyed. Cuts marked his face, and bruises welled on an arm exposed by a lost sleeve. 

Anna didn’t dare breath. The Queen groaned in pain, her arms struggling to gain purchase on the cracked brick floor of the castle. She was alive. 

Hans didn’t look like he’d come to save his followers. An accident? Where were Vanellope and Malefizel? Had they even had time to realize what was happening before Hans and the Queen crashed through the castle roof? Hans sighed, and pointed his open palm at the Queen’s head. 

No. Anna’s heart hammered in her chest, burst with blood, her ribs screaming in pain. If they were going to win, the Queen had to live. Hans couldn’t finish his spell. Time slowed. 

Anna blocked out all thoughts. Her anxieties tumbled into a black pit in the back of her mind as she threw her fists out, bellowing at the top of her lungs as she hurled two skyscrapers worth of galactic rainbow fire at Hans’ back. He whipped around, and their eyes met. His gaze burned with hatred.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let's play spot the cameos XD
> 
> the end rapidly approaches, friends. thank you to everyone who's stuck with this fic. <3


	24. Anna XV

The chamber knew only a few scarce moments of quiet before the fighting resumed. As Hans arrived his minions found their wills revitalized, and took up arms once more against the royal guard in a clash of blood and claws. Anna burned through three of the insurgents as she charged at Hans, magic bursting from her fingertips. She couldn’t give him even a second; she pelted the demon Lord with blasts of rainbow-colored fire, slinging the shots like bullets. Hans raised a fist and a barrier materialized just before they could hit home. 

Anna grimaced. Can’t get discouraged, have to live. She closed the distance between them, and vaguely heard Elsa scream out from behind her. “Everyone focus on Hans, we can’t give him time to react!” 

Anna pummeled Hans’ barrier with fire, forcing him to keep his guard up. He growled, and levitated into the air before she could get any closer. Anna considered chasing him up, but thought better of it and began weaving in a serpentine as she lobbed more fireballs into the shield. It had to break eventually, right? Keep him on his toes. Every movement Anna made sent more pain lacing down the length of her body like bloody cracks in her skin. 

The guards unoccupied with the remnants of Hans’ army quickly followed suit, firing arrows and blasts of magic at his barrier. Anna saw Mulan and Elsa talking quickly as the red-headed bow wielder and their bear tore through the enemy ranks and fired precision shots at Westerguard. The Queen, battered as she looked, was trying to sit up in the crater she’d made in the floor. She scraped the stone rubble with limp fingers, unable to get purchase. It occurred to Anna as her gaze lingered that the Queen’s arms were broken. 

She wasn’t sure what to make of that. Could the Queen still do magic? Was she even able to fight? Anna did have time to worry about it, one slip up with Hans and she was dead. She was already panting, and Hans’ barrier didn’t show any signs of wear. Her insides burned. Anna’s flame sputtered as she struggled to catch her breath, her side and back screaming with ache. Her ribs were definitely cracked. 

Hans’ barrier dropped, flicking out like a light. Arrows and magic flew for his head, but before any shots hit home he dropped into a portal below him. For a moment, Anna’s heart stopped. She spun, her eyes wild. How long had she been holding her breath for? Elsa raced towards her over the field of bodies. Tension settled over the chamber like death.

Anna didn’t see Hans reappear. One moment her eyes were locked with Elsa’s as her lover sprinted towards her, and the next she was nearly blinded as a radiant energy filled the room. Anna’s skin blistered from the heat. It kicked up notch by notch, until it was far hotter than anything she could stand. She screamed. 

Anna threw her hands out before her, punching shots into the air without being able to see her target. She lost her hearing, and a pulse of kinetic force slammed into her stomach. Anna flew through the air, unable to react, unable to breath. She smacked into the far wall of the chamber, cracking against the stone. Anna tumbled to the ground, her body a wreck of screaming nerves. She’d left a splat of blood on the wall where she’d hit it.

She thought she might have died. She’d never known a pain so acute, so tumultuous. Darkness blurred her thoughts, and she felt the abyss pulling her down with its long, snaking fingers. What even was that? She was splayed out over the floor of the chamber, with large, humanoid shapes scattered around her. 

Elsa. Anna blinked her eyes open, but all she saw was black. She willed her arms to move, her legs, but they weren’t responding as she’d expected them to. Her fingers twitched, moving a little more each time she roared at them to get the fuck up. To get moving. No time. 

Her vision returned first; blurry blues and whites faded over the darkness. Anna tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. The sight before her came further together.

The red. The red was gone. It was the first thing she noticed as the clarity came limping back. The bodies and blood that once filled the room were stacked up against the walls as if they’d been thrown there and left to rot. Some of them were in piles next to her, torsos ripped from heads and legs. Nothing remained of the tree in the center, and Anna realized she couldn’t see the guards or Hans’ minions anymore.

Elsa. Her neck creaked as she turned her head, looking for her love, but Hans caught her eye first. He stood near the far end of the room, adjusting his lapels and catching his breath.

Just a little more, just a little more. Anna craned her neck, knives of pain digging into her vertebrae as she forced her body to move. Hans reached into the pile of bodies next to him. He grabbed a still struggling figure by the throat and lifted them into the air. It was the bow-wielder. Hans laughed, and without an ounce of emotion snapped the demon’s neck; their body went still. He plunged his hand into the demon’s chest, and tore their heart from their ribcage. He ate it quickly, downing the pieces as if he’d done it a thousand times. 

Anna squinted, the connections in her mind taking longer to fire than they should have. Wait, of course! With renewed determination, Anna inched her arm towards one of the bodies next to her. They were an elephant looking creature, with a long, seven-fingered hand extending from the center of their face. Blood dribbled from their mouth, their eyes rolled back into their head. Anna clawed against the stone floor, dragging her body closer. Go, you have to go. You have to find her. 

“I’m impressed, Elsa,” Hans said from across the room. Anna froze. Elsa was alive? 

She knew she shouldn’t look. Time was precious. But it was Elsa, and she did. Her neck was finally moving like she needed it to, and she glanced back around. Against one of the other walls where before there had only been corpses stood Elsa, the horned demon’s trident held tight in her good hand. She was untouched by the blast, the weapon’s barrier erected in front of her.

Anna wanted to call out to her like she wanted to breathe. She needed to, but she couldn’t, and it broke her heart. She turned around again, grasping at the fallen demon’s corpse and sinking the hooks of her claws into the flesh of their torso. Everything smelled of red iron. 

When Elsa didn’t reply, Hans kept talking. “Not only did you escape from Ursula, but you fought me off in the Pride Lands. Well,” he laughed, reaching into the pile of corpses and retrieving another still-breathing body. Hans didn’t even bother to kill the guard first, and plunged his hand into their chest as they still squirmed in his grip. “I shouldn’t give you that much credit. Even I didn’t know Ursula’s little monsters hated me that much.”

Elsa stepped over the bodies, her legs shaking underneath her. “You really shouldn’t be surprised,” she said. Not once did she lower the trident. Hans laughed.

Anna pushed aside the demon’s ribs and slipped her hand into their chest cavity. The corpse stunk as it opened further, but the heart came out easily enough. She withdrew the organ and brought it to her mouth. The girl bit down, thinking hard of the stars and astral fire that powered her magic, her eyes locked on the standoff before her. 

Elsa and Hans circled each other like sharks. They kept their distance, with Hans moving closer to the Queen as they traversed the room. Their steps were calculated. “That toy of yours turned out to be rather useful,” he said to her, “she even got half-decent magic when she turned.”

Elsa snarled, her back arching. “Don’t you fucking talk about her.”

“Oh, sore spot? She’s your mate, isn’t she?” Her rubbed his chin. “I wonder if she survived my attack.” Elsa stepped forward, her icy hand freezing into an even larger blade. “It’s almost poetic that you’ll never find out.” 

Anna chewed and swallowed with all the strength her body could muster. Her energy returned to her as she ate, little arcs of warmth spreading through her. She wasn’t healing; her whole body still felt like she’d been hit by a train, cracked ribs and all, but she was regaining the ability to move. To fight. Pain she could deal with. There was always going to be more pain.

With each step around their circle of taunting, Elsa moved closer to Anna’s position. Did she even know she was there? Would she, covered in blood as she was? “So you’re going to kill me, then?” said Elsa. 

“Of course. It wouldn’t be very proper of me to leave you alive after so many failed attempts on your life.” He cocked his head, stepping closer to the crater containing the Queen. “Unless you’ve reconsidered, and would like to become one of my knights.” 

Elsa scoffed. “And that would be proper?”

“Good talent is hard to come by.”

They were goading each other, stalling for time. The longer they weren’t fighting, the longer they had to figure out how to kill one another. Anna dared not glance over to check whether the Queen still lived. She finished the last bite of meat and swallowed, snapping her eyes shut as the familiar feeling of warmth pulsed in her veins like a soft wave. She clenched her hand, and found her fingers responsive. Good. Her legs and back, too, were responsive to her mental inputs, the sharp pain faded into dull ache. Now she just needed a chance to strike.

“I’m not interested,” Elsa said. 

Hans shrugged. “I didn’t think you would be.” He whipped his hand through the air; a shower of lightning spurted forth in bursts, crackling against Elsa’s shield. She grunted at the hit, lowering her stance. “Come on out, you’re doomed anyways.” 

Another blast, two hands this time. Hans’s lightning exploded through the air, lighting up the chamber like a festival lantern. The trident’s shield held strong, blocking the waves even as they arced out to the sides, barely missing Elsa’s back. She needed backup, but Anna held back. The girl was still mangled, even if she felt better, and she doubted she could make it across the room before Hans had time to aim at her. He took quicker steps towards the Queen’s body, gaining while Elsa couldn’t threaten him. Anna bit her lip.

Then she heard the sound of rocks shifting. She glanced around, not immediately picking out any movement. The pebbled fell first, dropping from the ceiling over Hans. Anna looked up. In the glow of the lightning, she saw a massive object tumbling through the air. It was, she realized as it came fully through the hole of the ceiling, a whole piece of the castle wall. She barely had time to react; Hans had none. He didn’t even have time to scream. The immense shard of stone crashed down onto him with an earth-rumbling boom, and once more the castle shook under Anna’s feet. 

She didn’t hesitate. Anna channeled her magic and fire exploded from her feet, shooting her off the ground and through the air in a daze of pain. She rose up, gathering her bearings. Elsa clocked her immediately. 

“Anna!” She cried, the shield still up in front of her. 

“I’m okay!” Anna called, aware that she didn’t sound okay. Her voice rasped, and she wasn’t sure how much long she’d be able to use her right arm for. The feeling in her fingers was leaving, inching up from the tips of her nails. 

“Careful, he’s probably still alive!” 

“I know!” 

Elsa dropped the shield, and Anna’s heart beat faster. Hans, don’t you fucking dare pop out right now. Her girlfriend sprinted across the hall towards the Queen, trident in hand. Anna soared down towards the rubble, and began pummeling the impact site with plumes of starlight flame. She kicked up the juice as far as she could get it to go, the reverse pressure shoving her against the ceiling. The stone below turned black. If Hans was alive under there, he wouldn’t be for long.

“Hey, how’d we do?” A voice call from the floor above. A figure soared down on wings of gold and brown, and spun towards Anna. Vanellope was cradled in Malefizel’s arms princess style, neither of them looking worse for wear. 

Anna couldn’t help but smile, even though it hurt to do so. “Great timing,” she said.

“You mean besides being super-duper late?”

“Well, yeah.” It wasn’t really their fault, Hans entered the castle rather unconventionally. 

“Cool.” Vanellope pumped her fist. “We get Hans?” She gazed down at the inferno, and whistled.

“He’s under the rubble.” Anna jerked her hands for emphasis, her pillars of flame jostling to and fro. Malefizel and Vanellope each flashed Anna a thumbs up. It was strange to see how in synch they’d become. 

A cry of anguish echoed through the room, shaking Anna to her core. She whirled to check on Elsa and the Queen, but they were fine. “That would be him, then,” Malefizel said, eyeing the flaming rubble. Anna swallowed. 

Incrementally, she began to feel something pushing against her magic. It was firm, and forced the roar of her flames to flicker against her face. “He’s pushing back!” Vanellope looked to her and was about to say something when a tower of lightning erupted from the cracked ground. It blew through Anna’s fire and slammed into her chest, smacking her against the ceiling. The breath left her body, and she nearly blacked out again. 

Vanellope leapt from Malefizel’s arms as Anna fell, blipping down through the air to catch her. Anna jolted as they appeared on the ground, nausea bubbling in her stomach. Malefizel landed beside them, and helped Vanellope heft Anna to her feet where she struggled to gain balance. She did her best not to vomit. Her back was screaming again, her right hand twitching against her will. She rubbed her tummy with the kindest motions she could manage, shielding her eyes with her other hand from the tower of lightning before her. Elsa appeared beside Anna in a flash, her hand on her back. 

“You okay?”

Anna grunted. “I’m alive.” And she wanted to stay that way. 

“That’ll have to do for now,” Malefizel said as lightning crackled from within the wreckage. Elsa shuffled to the front of their group and held out the trident before them. The shield formed like water freezing over on a pond. 

Huddled together with her friends, Anna watched as Hans emerged like a titan from under the sea of rock. Arcs of electricity swirled around him in a vortex, his eyes dark under the furrow of his brow. Heavy, raised bruises marked his face and an exposed arm. He stepped forward, and dusted himself off. His voice echoed as he spoke. 

“Every single one of you is fucked.”

“Here we go!” Vanellope cried. Hans cut the air with a swipe of his hand and a laser as thick as a school bus slammed into the trident shield. Elsa staggered for a moment but held strong, the force of the blast shoving her back a foot. Light engulfed the party on all sides. 

“Anna!” Elsa said, “We need a plan!” Hans’ blast sustained, and kicked up in power. Streams of energy splashed off the barrier and punched through the chamber walls like they weren’t even there. Anna bit her lip.

Don’t think. “Vanellope! You’re on distraction, just like with Ursula! Keep him from casting, and don’t get hit!” 

“Right!” 

“Malefizel,” Anna craned her neck to eye the woman’s new wings, “what can you do now?” 

“Malefizel squinted against the light of the beam, hand in front of her eyes. “I can fly, heal minor injuries, and make small illusions!” She paused, “I think!” 

Anna’s heart raced. She watched Elsa struggle to hold the trident in place, the ice of her replacement arm quickly melting under the heat of the beam’s pressure. They wouldn’t last, they had to go on the offensive and end it quick. “Can you make an illusion of Vanellope behind Hans?”

“I think so, but she won’t be the right color! The magic won’t account for different hues!” What did that even mean? It didn’t matter.

“On my mark, Malefizel you need to make a shadow Vanellope behind Hans. Vanellope, blip around him and keep him on his toes. He can’t get a single shot off.” The women nodded, and Anna glanced at Elsa. “Elsa, love,” her girlfriend met her eyes, her pupils wide, “I’m going to cover you with flame, and then I need you to run forward with the shield up and cut Hans down. Okay?” It was the biggest thing she could ask of her, and she hated to do it. But they were so close to being done, so close. A few more steps forward. 

Elsa grimaced. “Okay.”

“You fucking wretches!” Hans bellowed from where he stood, his voice doubled, “why won’t you just let yourself be ruled?” He sounded wild, his calm demeanor a distant afterthought. Anna couldn’t see him, but his unraveling was plain as day to anyone with ears. They could do this. 

Anna took a deep breath, and the world around her went silent for a moment. She remembered the fire in her heart, the candle that refused to be blown out. “Go!”

Malefizel got to work, spinning her hands before her. With a flick of her wrist a green, shadowy silhouette of Vanellope appeared behind Hans. The copy split down the middle and became two, then ran at Hans from behind. The first flung itself at him, head-butting his side. He howled, and turned his magic upon the silhouettes, eradicating them both in seconds. 

The pressure lifted from the trident shield. Vanellope was away in seconds, blipping up to Hans and socking him in the back of the head. He whipping around, lighting blasting into the air where she stood just moments before. The girl weaved around him with her magic, clawing and punching at him, never staying in one place long enough to get hit. He screamed curses at her, his face red. 

Anna launched into the sky, Malefizel close behind her. As soon as she was above Hans she fired with all her strength, singing to the stars with the fibers of her heart and burying the demon in a pyroclasm of heat. He shielded with one hand, staggering under the weight of her flame. With only one left to cast, Vanellope landed more hits. Anna swore Hans’ cheeks were glowing purple. 

“This would be so much easier if you just died!” He cried. Hans blasted lightning at Vanellope with his one free hand as he held off Anna’s aerial assault. Several times he tried to catch her with a clench of his fist and crush her, but she was too quick. 

Elsa charged, shield in her good hand and a blade extended from the other. Hans growled as she approached, and took a hit from Vanellope to free one hand and snap his fingers. A portal opened beneath him, and he fell through and out of sight. 

“Form up!” Anna said, “Don’t let him sneak up on us!” She dove for the ground, spinning in the air to slow her descent. 

She touched down beside Elsa, their backs together. Malefizel and Vanellope fell in, and the four of them made an outward-looking square, eyes on every corner. He could still surprise them, Anna knew. She scrambled mentally for a strategy, but she came up empty. 

For a still moment, silence settled over the chamber. Anna’s heart beat in her ears. Her eyes scanned every surface, every detail. She began to hear the faint groans of the remaining royal guards buried in the shelves of bodies.

A spark of magic. High above, like the sound of a pin dropping. Elsa whirled on Vanellope, her eyes wild. “V, dodge!” 

Anna barely comprehended what had been said. Vanellope disappeared for a moment, green light trailing behind her. She reappeared a second later, blood spilling from her mouth, and collapsed to the ground. Anna’s heart stopped. Han’s fist had burst from Vanellope’s side, covered in her blood. 

“Tch,” Hans said, “I missed.” He was near the ceiling, casting from above them. Anna roared. Her heart burned to molten cinders. She launched plume after plume of white fire at the bastard, unable to even see whether she was hitting. Tears formed on the edges of her vision. Fuck. Fucking no. 

Elsa was a blur, disappearing before Anna’s eyes. Quicker than speaking, she spun on her heel and brought her blade down on the fist erupting out from inside Vanellope’s ribs, severing Hans’ hand from his arm. He shrieked, and his bloody stump sucked back through the portal he’d made inside the girl’s chest cavity.

Anna’s mind went white. She was vaguely aware of Malefizel dropping to Vanellope’s side and beginning to glow. Anna pushed hard, hotter, until the ceiling around Hans exploded in a mess of stardust. His cries picked up in octave, and a burning shadow tumbled out of the sky. Hans slammed into the ground beside them.

His skin was covered in third degree burns, and he howled. Elsa was upon him immediately. To Anna’s surprise, Hans leapt up and met her blow for blow, a sword appearing in his remaining hand from one of the scabbards at his side. His teeth grit and drew blood as he parried her ice. 

Elsa used the trident’s shield to keep him on his toes, pushing him away from Vanellope and Malefizel. He was quick, even while missing most of his skin and nearly all of his clothing. Hans stepped back through a portal and appeared again behind Elsa. He swung for her neck, only to catch Anna’s next blast of white flame with his side. He spun through the air, alight once more, and smacked into the stone floor. 

Bellowing, Hans dropped his sword and reached his hand out for Anna. She blasted him again before he could finish drawing out his Lord magic to crush her. Hans snarled and leapt to the side, ducking and weaving out of the way of her flames, his second blade tight in his hand. 

Anna corralled him, keeping him in place and preventing him from flying off or portaling as Elsa gunned for his throat. Her ice sung through his flesh, cutting deep gashes into his legs and torso as he tried to block. His swings were slowing. Hans stabbed high but was parried by the trident shield and ended up staggered on his back leg. Elsa thrust forward, burying her blade in Hans’ guts. She spun on one foot, carrying him through the air like a speared fish and hurling him off her sword and into the ground. Blood spurted from his mouth as he bounced off the floor. 

The candle in Anna’s chest burned hot, and she saw her chance. She raised her hand above her head and shouted out loud as a spear of rainbow fire whirled around her fist like a drill. Slamming her foot into the floor, Anna chucked it at Hans with all the energy she could muster. 

He saw it coming, and managed to dodge the brunt of the blast, but was thrown a distance away by the concussive force of Anna’s fire colliding with the ground. He leapt to his feet again, panting, sword in hand. His clothes were in shreds. He’d been impaled, but it hadn’t downed him? Just watching him made Anna remember the ache of her ribs, the pain in her head and back. It bit at her, always there, but easy enough to ignore through the haze of adrenaline. Elsa couldn’t be faring much better. They needed to put him down for good before they collapsed. Anna couldn’t even feel her right arm, but it was still generating flame. 

“Elsa!” Anna said as she rushed forward, hurtling spears of plasma as she went, “the trident!” Her voice cracked as she yelled. Her back stung like death as she bit her tongue to bury the pain. Hans flicked his wrist to create a portal, but before he could step inside Anna filled the opening with flame.

Elsa caught on. She took off after Hans, shield in front of her. Hans snarled, and gunned for Anna in response. Anna didn’t slow down, and kept up the pressure as Hans weaved around her magic. How was he still dodging? He swiped, cutting up her forearm and into her elbow as he passed. Bury the pain, bury the pain. No. Blood sloughed from her wound. Anna faltered, her breath leaving her body. She punched, but nothing came out. Panic flooded her inside like a dam breaking. Hans’ blade found her again as she tried to dodge, cutting deep gouges into her thighs and stomach. Anna began to fall, unconsciousness tugging at her. 

She’d given Elsa the time she needed. Her love appeared in a blur, dropping the shield and raising the trident to strike. Hans was ready for her. He dropped low, evading the cut of the trident and elbowing Elsa in the gut. In the second she was frozen, Hans’ blade plunged upward through her collar bone and out her back, barely missing her heart. 

Anna watched Elsa’s eyes roll up in her head as she reeled. They’d both go down, and Hans would finish them. She saw it like it was a premonition planted in her mind. 

No, fuck that. Anna’s war cry echoed through the chamber as she embraced the pain to stay awake, and felt intimately every cut and bruise and broken bone. Blood spurted from her wounds as she caught herself in midair with a jet of fire. She shot forward, and grabbed the trident. Elsa caught herself in the same moment and steadied, her hand next to Anna’s on the weapon’s handle. 

Hans’ eyes went wide as the two women screamed. They thrust the trident forward together, their wounds leaking red onto the cracked floor. Anna’s skin broke. Her muscles tore, begging to let go from the strain. She nearly blacked out. In the split second after Hans had them both reeling, Anna and Elsa plunged the trident through his stomach, the three prongs bursting from his back. 

Time stopped. Color faded from the world. Hans gasped soundlessly, a river of crimson bubbling in his throat. His skin warped outwards from the wound in a ripple, covering his entire body. The light faded from his eyes like the sun going down. He screamed. Skin, bone, muscle, and organ, Hans Westerguard melted away, his body sloughing into a pool of viscera on the floor before Anna’s feet. All that remained of him was a glistening red heart, still beating lightly in the center of it. 

The world returned, and Anna let go of the trident at the same time that Elsa did. It clattered to the floor, prongs glistening red. She was still in pain. She began to fall. Anna angled herself, and smacked into Elsa’s side instead of the floor. 

Her body burned, the sheer hurt sucking her under like the riptide. She didn’t speak as Elsa leaned her weight against her, the two of them propped up with only the other for balance. Anna couldn’t even meet her love’s eyes. They staggered, turning on shaking feet, and hobbled back to Vanellope and Malefizel. 

The girl was barely breathing. Anna kneeled beside her, and took her hand. Elsa fell into a sitting position, unable to stay standing without Anna to keep her up. Anna coughed as a sob formed in her throat. She ran a thumb over Vanellope’s cheek, stroking her cold skin.

Malefizel glanced at her. “I can’t heal this,” she said, then stood and flew over to inspect Hans’ remains. What was the point? 

The white fury in Anna’s heart faded, and the pain she felt surging up into her far outstripped the physical agony she was experiencing. “H-Hey,” she said to Vanellope, her voice sounding more like a croak than human speech. 

Vanellope smiled, the color in her eyes faded. “Hey, A,” she rasped, “I love you, you know that right?”

Anna nodded, and squeezed Vanellope’s hand. Tears flowed down her cheeks and dripped heavily onto the stone floor. “I love you too.” 

“You did so good,” Elsa said, her voice soft and quiet. 

Vanellope chuckled. “Thanks, hot demon mom.” Elsa smiled sadly, her lower lip trembling as she scooted closer to Anna. 

Malefizel returned, the Lord heart dropped by Hans in her hand. Anna glanced at it, unable to form word to respond. Elsa’s eyes lit up.

Malefizel kneeled. “Vanellope, I need you to eat this,” she said, holding the organ up for the girl to see. 

Vanellope frowned. “But that’s what you wanted.” 

Malefizel shook her head, her eyes never leaving Vanellope’s. “It doesn’t matter. Keeping you alive is what’s most important now.” 

“Heh.” Vanellope took in a breath and hacked, blood spurting from her wound. “That’s gay.”

“Yes. Yes, it is.”

The girl blinked, and Anna feared she might keep up her retorts long enough to actually die. Vanellope lingered in Malefizel’s gaze, eyes searching. After a moment Anna got the feeling she was encroaching upon something intimate. “I wouldn’t make a very good Lord,” Vanellope said finally. 

“Vanellope, I don’t care. Eat the damn heart.” Malefizel’s voice was strained, like a stick holding up a boulder. 

“What if the Queen doesn’t like me, though?”

“Vanellope.” A pause, and Malefizel began trembling. “I’ll make a place for you here. Please.”

“Come on,” Anna added. You can’t leave me. 

The dying girl groaned, and winced in pain. Blood pooled by the hole in her side, and were she still human Anna was sure she’d have been already long dead. “Fine, fine.”

Vanellope lifted her hand, her fingers shaking, and took the organ from Malefizel’s open palm. She drew it to her mouth. Her razor-like teeth made easy work of the tough flesh, but it was still slow going with how weak she was. ‘There, good,” Malefizel said, her voice soft, “you’ll be okay.” Anna flinched as Vanellope begin crying as she ate, her tears big and heavy on her cheeks.

A minute passed, then two, and Vanellope finished. She sighed, and from the sound of it she no longer had a hard time breathing. Anna smiled, and held Elsa closer. Vanellope’s skin glowed. Her flexible armor plates lit up, piece by piece, as an aura swirled around her. She changed. Just like with Hans back in the manor Anna couldn’t quite put her finger on how, but the difference was like watching the changing of seasons. It was beautiful. 

Vanellope laughed as the glow faded away, the color returning to her irises. “How do I look?”

Anna chuckled, and squeezed Vanellope’s hand. “The same.” A lightness began seeping into her heart, like a small crack growing larger. Vanellope was alive. They’d done it. They were bathed in a sea of corpses, but they’d done it, and Hans was gone. 

Vanellope tried to sit up, but groaned and returned to her horizontal position. “Ugh,” she said, “do I still have a hole in my side?” She did, but already it looked less garish. The flesh around the wound had begun to stitch back together before Anna’s eyes, and the blood stopped oozing. 

“Don’t worry, it’ll heal,” Malefizel said, rubbing a hand over Vanellope’s forehead. Her smile was radiant. 

“Good,” Vanellope coughed, jerking where she lay, “not gonna let some demon fuckboy ruin this rockin’ bod.” 

Malefizel giggled, and to Anna’s surprise she leaned down to kiss Vanellope on the mouth. Vanellope melted into it. She reached an arm around Malefizel’s neck to pull her closer, tangling her fingers in the woman’s hair. Anna glanced away, a blush crawling up her cheeks. 

Elsa nuzzled into Anna’s shoulder, her breathing soft. Anna pecked the crown of her head, smelling the scent of her even as it lie buried underneath a wall of gore. “We did it,” Elsa said, her body slack. 

Anna nodded against her head. “We did.” Images of their life together flashed through her mind’s eye. The desert, running together at top speed under a blue sky. Swimming under the sea and visiting giant squids. Traveling like no one could stop them, eating every food that existed. She kissed Elsa’s forehead again, her lips lingering. “I guess we get our dream now.” The light in her heart cracked all the way open, revealing something totally new. 

Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna’s torso. She began to cry, her tears wetting Anna’s shoulder. Blood dribbled from the wound on her collar bone. Anna felt her own eyes water, the weight she’d been holding back tumbling through her heart and crushing her defenses. She hiccupped, a sob in her chest. Elsa tugged Anna closer, if that were even possible. Her tail wrapped tightly around Anna’s, stroking her back with the fluffy tip of it and holding her in place. 

How many people had they just killed? How much blood was on Anna’s hands? It was terrifying. In a few weeks she’d become something a younger version of herself could never have expected. The fear and relief escaped together through her tears. 

Anna let her head settle against Elsa’s shoulder as she sobbed, the pain of the day writhing through her body like tendrils of ache. It was okay. They two women clung to each other, together at the end of the battle.

Behind her, Anna heard Malefizel stand and stride over to where the Queen lay. 

“Hey, old friend,” she said. 

Between her sobs, Anna heard an airy laugh from a voice she didn’t recognize. “That’s you, isn’t it, Maleficent?” The voice hacked, their voice raw. 

“In a manner of sorts.” 

“How vague.” Another cough. “I’ve missed you.”

Anna kissed Elsa’s cheek, whispering affections against her ear. Elsa giggled, nuzzling into Anna with wet cheeks. She was so warm. 

“How can I help?” Malefizel asked.

“I’m dying, fool. I need you to record my account of a successor.” said the Queen. 

A moment passed before Malefizel spoke again, but when she did Anna could clearly hear the open anguish in her tone. “Are you sure? You might yet survive.”

The Queen laughed. “The magic that changed you has dulled your wits, has it?” 

“Fuck off.” Anna flinched. “Have you chosen who’s to replace you? Sounds hard to pick while dying.”

When the Queen spoke again, there was a softness to her words. “I think you already know the answer to that.” 

Malefizel had no reply to give. Anna found Elsa’s hand and held it as tight as she could, tuning out the rest of Mal’s conversation with the Queen. Elsa kissed her cheek.

They were going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you didn't honestly think I was going to kill any of my girls did you


	25. Epilogue

Elsa stepped over the manor threshold and took in the scene. It was a quiet winter day in Seattle, and snow tumbled listlessly down from the icy blue sky. A hole was blown through the door of her home. Shards of wood and metal were scattered on the outside, but the interior was clean, albeit dark and chilly. The entirety of the front door and the material around it was gone, exposing the vast foyer of her ancestors to the elements. She’d need to get contractors to work fixing it as soon as she could. 

The sight brought about a cocktail of emotions. Fear, longing. A silent sense of loss that she couldn’t aptly describe. Cuts and cracks were littered across the floor and walls from Hans’ attack, lingering like scars. Elsa rubbed her left arm, painfully regrown after a long day of rest. Standing there in her bloodstained blue dress, she felt out of place in her own manor. 

Anna stepped out of the portal behind her, tripping over herself and nearly falling. Elsa reached out to catch her, but Anna stabilized, and offered a grin. They were both still so shaky on their feet, the battle in the castle not even a full two days behind them. Vanellope and Malefizel appeared after her, and with a wave of Vanellope’s hand the swirling blue rift snapped shut. 

Elsa looked at each of them in turn, the reality of their situation still dream-like in her chest. They’d beaten Hans. They’d saved their world. And all that seemed so small compared to the task before her. Just call out. Say something.

Anna wrapped a hand around Elsa’s waist and pulled her close. She pinked, and smiled at her love. “It’s okay,” Anna said, “whatever happens, we’ve got you.” Vanellope and Malefizel nodded in agreement, and Elsa swallowed. Just a few words. What if the worst had happened, though? Her fear pulsed in her veins. Elsa took a deep breath, and mentally lingered on the feeling of the cool winter sun on her skin. 

“Um, Gerda?” She called out as she walked into the center of the foyer and placed a hand on the stairwell banister. “Gerda? Are you here?” 

Silence. Elsa felt it like a blanket encompassing her, draping down from the sky.

A crash, and Elsa startled. She looked towards the kitchen, where the sound originated. A pattering running feet. Elsa’s breath hitched as a figure appeared from the hallway: they were tall and round, with great unfurling wings wrapped partway around their body. Large, bird-like talons emerged from where their feet used to be, and their arms and head sported tufts of brown feathers. They were not unlike an owl. 

Elsa knew the sight of her immediately, changes notwithstanding. “G-Gerda?” She was a demon, and already the cogs began clicking into place in Elsa’s mind. 

Gerda rushed forward. Elsa let out a breathy sob and held her arms open for the woman. She collided with her chest, nearly knocking Elsa to the floor. “Miss!” She said, tears in her eyes, “Miss Elsa, you’re alright! Thank goodness, I was so worried!” 

“Gerda, I’m,” Elsa’s breath caught in her throat. She glanced at Anna, who was tearing up behind her. “I’m so glad to see you’re okay. What happened?” Gerda released Elsa, and stepped back, coughing into her hand with mild embarrassment. She looked worn, with bags under her eyes and a scruffiness to her clothes, which were modified to fit her new body shape. “You’re different,” Elsa added almost as an afterthought. Gerda was alive, her home was destroyed, but repairable. She couldn’t help but smile as the relief swelled in her heart like a morning over the summer ocean. She nearly pulled her old guardian into another hug. 

Vanellope chuckled. “It’s a good look.”

Gerda wiped big, bubbly tears from her eyes with a clawed finger. “I’m sorry, miss, that was a tad out of line.”

“Hush, Gerda,” Elsa placed a hand on the old woman’s shoulder, “we’re family.” 

Gerda sniffled, and the biggest smile Elsa ever saw broke over her face. “That we are.” She turned and strode towards the kitchen, and gestured for them all to follow. Elsa sensed a story was imminent, and beckoned her companions along. 

“I wonder if my room is still intact,” said Anna. 

“Thankfully,” Gerda said, “the damage was contained to the entry hall.” Elsa was thankful, and wondered how long it would take her to ask Anna if she’d like to move into Elsa’s room permanently. They could spend every night together, with nothing to stop them.

The manor was in good shape despite the hole, and cold, but Elsa couldn’t stop smiling. Most of the debris had been swept up, and anything damaged heirlooms had been locked away to be someday repaired. Gerda eyed Malefizel as they walked, and drew an old flip phone from her pocket. She whispered hushed words into the receiver, then hung up before they reached the kitchen. Elsa suspected what she’d done, but didn’t comment. The party settled at the bar where Elsa usually made Anna breakfast; the kitchen looked much the same, though with significantly less food. The hanging plants were still alive, thankfully. Elsa took Anna’s hand under the table as they sat down while Gerda fetched cups for tea. A few minutes passed in silence as Elsa breathed in the smell of her home. Glancing at her knives and tools, she couldn’t wait to get cooking again. 

“When Hans was distracted during the attack,” she said, “I ran into the basement to get the heart we still had on ice,” Gerda said as she put on water to boil. Elsa nodded, having suspected as much, “I ate it and turned to save you all, but by the time I got back upstairs you were gone.” Gerda took a seat across from Elsa, rolling her empty cup in her hand. “I’m not sure how I did it, but I managed to fight Hans off before he could kill Jane and Kristoff.” She shook her head. “Barely survived myself.” Elsa’s heart broke a little as she said those words. “Not much has happened since then. I’ve been occupied with trying to stave off curious neighbors and the police while keeping myself and my new form hidden.” Elsa had left her alone, she’d realized. Without even meaning to, she’d left her guardian to watch her home while she tried to get back. Elsa felt an overwhelming pulse of appreciation and love for Gerda, a feeling she knew could never be truly repaid. 

“For a whole month?” Malefizel asked.

Gerda nodded, and stood as the kettle began to cry. “Yes,” she said. 

“Commendable.”

Gerda raised an eyebrow. “These old bones weren’t about to lie down and let the family home get caught up in some legal battle.” She frowned, and took the kettle off the burner. “Or worse, become infested with rodents.” The thought of tea only reminded Elsa of the ache lingering in her bones and muscles. She might have been recovered from battle, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t going to spend the entirety of the next week sleeping.

“I meant it as a compliment, old friend.” A wry smirk played over Malefizel’s lips, but the look in her eyes was nervous, like she was on the verge of asking something but couldn’t quite get the words out. Vanellope watched her, attentive. 

Gerda startled. “What are you talking about? We’ve only just met, young lady.” She returned to the table and poured five cups of tea, careful not to spill. 

Malefizel didn’t reply. “There’s, well,” Elsa said as she offered an apologetic glance at her old caretaker, “there’s a bit of a story there.”

Gerda frowned. “I imagine there is,” she crossed her arms in a huff, “you were gone for a month, miss, and had me quite worried. You better have a good tale or two in your pocket.” 

Elsa blushed. “I’m sorry.” Anna patted her back, giggling.

Gerda sighed, and took a long and gentle sip of her tea. Elsa followed suit, thankful for the distraction. “It’s alright now that you’re safe. Though, before you go telling the whole web of nitty gritty details, I think we ought to wait a bit first so our guests can arrive.” 

“Guests?” Elsa furrowed her brow, “who’d you invite?”

“I wouldn’t object to the pizza guy about now,” Anna said, rubbing her stomach. Elsa snuck a look at her, and found her visibly relaxed. The tension in her shoulder that Elsa had become so accustomed to had slackened since arriving. It was her home, too, Elsa remembered. Their home. 

The sound of a motorcycle screeching to a stop halted Elsa’s thoughts in her tracks. It echoed through the house from out front, and Elsa’s mouth opened slightly as the engine cut off. Gerda smirked. “That would be them, then.” 

“What timing,” said Malefizel, sipping her cup. 

“Rapunzel? Hey!” Kristoff called from the foyer. His voice was frantic, with a hint of desperation. 

“Um, sweetie?” Jane called behind him, quieter, “Gerda called us, where are you?”

Malefizel froze, and eyed Gerda with a frown. She hadn’t even given her a head start to escape. “It’ll be fine,” Vanellope said, rubbing Malefizel’s shoulder as if she’d read her thoughts. 

Malefizel sighed. “No, it won’t. But I need to start somewhere.” She glanced at Elsa, Anna, and Gerda, her eyes pleading. “You’ll help me explain to them, right?” She closed her eyes. “They’ll hurt, but I’d rather them know the whole truth than think Rapunzel dead.” 

Elsa smiled as Anna reached over to hug Malefizel’s free arm. “Of course,” the girl said. The wind picked up outside, and the snow breezed harder against the kitchen window. At the rate it was going, it might even stick. 

“We’ve got you, every step of the way,” Elsa added. No matter what happened, they were home. 

 

-o-

 

Vanellope strode through the castle ballroom, demons of all shapes and sizes stepping aside for her to pass. They sported a variety of expressions, from surprise, to loss, to pride. They all looked quite put together in the glow of the white light atop the massive candelabras lining the hall like sentries. The space was vast, with a high ceiling and bright purple tapestries. 

“Congratulations, again, my Lord,” said a tall demon with the lower body of a bright white pegasus. Vanellope nodded, trying her best not to look smug. She was nothing if not pleased with her situation, though she could definitely do to get out of her tight shoes. 

Malefizel said it was the largest party the castle had seen in ages, and from the looks of it Vanellope had no reason to doubt her. After reluctantly letting her visit Arendelle manor on Earth, the castle advisors had insisted on a proper coronation for Malefizel. Naturally, Vanellope had been roped into it too. Not only was she now the royal consort, but held her head high as the new demon Lord of Earth and one of the four heroes responsible for ridding them all of the murderous Hans Westerguard. 

An exaggeration, she thought, but she would be lying if she didn’t say the recognition she was getting didn’t tickle a deep, carnal need in her heart. She’d been alone for so, so long, and suddenly she had a home where she was not only tolerated, but celebrated. It was a feeling she knew so little of, and she held in in a tight hug within herself. 

She wasn’t as excited about the position, but she’d take it over dying. First thing she’d do was petition to get some better leadership structures in place, even if she had to fuck Malefizel into their bed to get the decree passed. And the infrastructure, god the infrastructure. So much to do. 

The girl glanced over her shoulder, and spied Malefizel in full regalia standing before the throne and addressing a gathering of the many Lords of the Underworld. Vanellope had slipped away unnoticed, unwilling to submit herself to her proper duties in full quite yet. Her Queen would be on her soon, though, and no doubt would have some deliciously choice punishments for escaping such an important meeting. She couldn’t wait. 

Vanellope spotted the two people she was looking for in the crowd halfway across the ballroom floor. Unable to hold it back, a grin spread over her face. Anna and Elsa danced near the center of the room, surrounded by demons getting their boogie on. Their eyes were locked as they laughed and sweat; it was one of the most wonderful things Vanellope had ever seen. 

Glancing back again to make sure Malefizel hadn’t seen her, Vanellope blipped through the crowd towards her friends. She dropped the moment she reached them and performed some sick nasty dance moves, utterly swagger, then spun up and splayed her hands above her head. Were she not wearing such form fitting regal attire, she might have been able to pull off something more impressive, but what she’d managed got Anna giggling nonetheless. 

“V! Hey!” Anna lunged forward and tugged the girl into a bone-crushing hug. Vanellope cackled, and slapped her best bitch on the back. 

“Stop, stop, you’re gonna kill the new Lord! It’ll be an international incident!” 

Anna let expelled a harsh laugh, and released her. Vanellope made a show of gasping for breath, and got a smirk from Elsa for her effort. “Congratulations, again,” she said, offering Vanellope a small bow.

Vanellope balked, and stuck her tongue out. “Ugh, please don’t do that. God.” 

Elsa giggled, and took Anna’s arm like a dignified lady in an old movie. Anna smiled, and kissed her cheek. Fuck, they were cute. Vanellope felt warmth radiate from her chest, tingling like good drugs. She beckoned them off the dance floor towards the food, and began to stuff her face with pastries. Like a god before the ocean, the crowd parted.

“How’re you doing, then?” Anna asked as she fed Elsa a spoonful of melted chocolate.

Vanellope did her best to talk between bites, but failed. “Good, good, it’s a little weird with the lack of sun still, but now that I’m not running for my life down here I’m getting used to it.” She coughed on a cupcake, and raised a hand to her chest. “You?” 

“There’s a missing persons report out on you,” Elsa said, wiping a drop of chocolate from the corner of her lip, “but they don’t have any leads. I wasn’t able to get anything on your foster family.”

Vanellope smirked. “Good.”

Anna frowned, and leaned on the oak table with one hand. “Are you sure it’s okay like this? What if they’re genuinely worried?”

A knot formed in Vanellope’s gut, but she didn’t linger on it. She’d made her decision. Her foster family hadn’t been the worst, but they hadn’t been good, either. She never felt like she’d belonged there, hard as she tried to encourage them to talk to her like a fucking human being. Ironic, in a way. “It’s better like this,” she said, crossing her arms, “I’m not going back,” Vanellope glanced at Malefizel, “and the less the humans know the better, to be honest.” 

Elsa nodded with poise. God, get the woman at a party and suddenly she’s a fucking princess. No wonder Anna liked her so much. “Said like a Lord.”

“Wow,” Vanellope grinned, and socked the older woman’s shoulder lightly, “could you not?” 

Elsa bowed deep, mockingly. “Of course, my Lord.”

Vanellope gagged. “Look,” she pointed at them both, “you two are my employees now, you here? I order you to stop that shit.” 

“Employees?” Anna smiled, and glanced at Elsa, “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.” 

“Tough, sister.” Vanellope cackled, and placed her hands on her hips. “My planet, you work for me if you wanna keep fighting incursions.”

Anna took another bite of chocolate. “Do we at least get benefits?” 

“The power’s already gone to her head,” said Elsa wryly. 

“I think the ego was already there when she got it.”

Vanellope stuck out her tongue. The music changed, and all around them the demons slowed, dancing in pairs or triads or more to something a little softer, a little more blissful. It got Vanellope good, and the great will of sarcasm and jest left her. Like the weather, music changed her tune so easily. Maybe when the shindig was over she’d take Malefizel out street racing and kick on the Nightwish and Sonata Arctica. 

Anna smiled, and stepped forward. Leaning down slightly, she kissed Vanellope’s forehead. Vanellope sniggered, and angled her face up to meet the girl’s lips with her own. Anna snorted, but kissed her all the same, cupping her cheeks between her palms. 

“Sly dog,” she said as she pulled away. Elsa smirked behind her, arms behind her. Vanellope threw the woman a wink. Anna was one of her favorite people, she mused, and that hadn’t changed in the slightest. But maybe, just maybe, there were a few more people on that pedestal now than just the one. “You’ll visit, right? You better promise.” 

Vanellope gave Anna a thumbs-up. As if she’d miss her for the whole world. “Yeah, yeah, I remember. Movie night’s every Friday.” 

“Just in case you forget,” Elsa said, “we got you a Mario Kart calendar as a coronation present.” 

Vanellope nearly started crying right then and there. She’d gone through hell with them, hadn’t she, and still she could rely on them to get her stupid gifts. “Aww, shuck! You shouldn’t have!” She drew both women into a hug. Vanellope hid her face, unwilling to meet their eyes and admit she might have been tearing up. She wouldn’t miss a single fucking movie night, she promised herself. Calendar or no. “I love you both.”

“We love you too, V,” said Anna, nuzzling her head. 

A figure cleared their throat behind Vanellope, and she removed herself from Anna and Elsa. She turned around, knowing already who it was.

“Clever girl,” Queen Malefizel said to her. 

Vanellope giggled, and elbowed Anna’s side. “We just watched Jurassic Park last night, she loves that part.” 

“Ah.”

Malefizel raised and eyebrow, arms crossed and hips cocked. God, she was hot. “You got away from me once, my pretty,” the Queen said as she scooped Vanellope up into her arms, holding her weight with ease, “but you shan’t escape again.” 

Vanellope kissed the woman’s cheek, and winked at her. “Oh yeah?” Beside her, she could her Anna and Elsa trying and failing to contain a hurricane of giggles. Vanellope couldn’t wait for her punishment.

 

-o-

 

The light of late spring bore down on Anna from a vast, empty blue sky. Her eyes were closed, but the sun glowed through her eyelids and denied her darkness. She heard Elsa rummaging in the trunk of their car. Anna sat driver’s side, her head leaning back against the rest, the vehicle’s convertible top brought down. They were somewhere in Arizona, but wasn’t sure exactly where. She didn’t want to know: getting lost was part of the fun. The high desert surrounded them where they were pulled over, the open, empty road stretching for miles in either direction. Rocky crags and cacti dotted the horizon. 

Anna’s five tails swished in the air before her, fanning her face. It was so warm. Elsa had been holding her hand as she’d taught her drive, figuratively and literally. While it was dangerous, her chill touch kept Anna cool as she learned the finer mechanics of the vehicle. Overhead, Anna heard the cry of an eagle. 

“You almost done back there?” Anna called out. She opened her eyes, blinking against the sun. 

“Just a second,” Elsa said as she clanked through the cooler in the trunk, “you want Sprite or Coke?” 

Anna thought about it. “Um. Orange juice?”

“We’re out.”

“Damn. Sprite then.” 

“Cool,” Elsa said, pausing after the word left her mouth. “Before you say anything, no, that was not meant to be a pun.”

Anna giggled, and rapped her fingers on the steering wheel. Elsa shut the trunk and returned to the passenger side, sitting down and handing Anna a can of Sprite. She was in her human form, a look Anna wasn’t really used to anymore, and wore a lovely blue blouse with white shorts that accentuated her figure. She adjusted her sun hat, and smiled at Anna as she cracked the can open and took a swig. 

“So, my love,” Elsa said, a genuine smile on her cheeks, “where to next?” 

Anna set her Sprite in the cup holder. “I dunno.” She turned the key in the ignition, and the car hummed to life. She checked behind her, nothing. Anna stepped on the gas, pushing them off the dirt patch they’d parked on and onto the desert highway. “But I was thinking East?” 

They picked up speed along the straightaway until they were cruising at a steady 70. Anna’s braids flew behind her. “East?” Elsa said, “any particular reason?”

Anna smiled, and met Elsa’s eyes. There was definitely a reason; it would pay off later when Anna told Elsa the news. She’d been holding onto it, keeping it a surprise until the most pleasing moment possible. “Well, East takes us farther from home, and I just want to see your beautiful face in the sunlight some more.”

Elsa blushed. Anna turned back to the road, laughing as the air whipped through her hair and tugged her horns. Elsa crawled over the armrest between them and kissed Anna’s cheek, lingering for long enough that Anna was afraid she might have to slow down. Not that a crash could actually hurt them, but then they’d have to run home, and they’d already scheduled a cross-country sprint for next July. No point repeating vacations that early into a thousand year lifespan. 

They were a few days past Anna’s 18th birthday. She’d graduated from high school early through online courses, and had remained a solid B-average student until the very end. She hadn’t actually been able to attend her graduation, but she’d watched from a tree nearby and pretended she’d walked. She told the administration she’d been ill. That night, thought, she and Elsa held the largest party they could muster, even if it was only for a handful of people. Vanellope and Malefizel came, and brought Simba and Nala along to show them the human world. Jane and Kristoff played Pokemon until Vanellope dragged them into the “unholy circle of demons,” as they’d called it. Gerda’d really outdone herself with the food; Anna had fond memories of failing to beat Kristoff in an eating contest. Jane and Malefizel had wandered off part way through, no doubt to have another of their notoriously long conversations. 

It was the best graduation she could ask for, and the sex after the party had been killer as always. The only feeling that had topped it was formally leaving the foster system on the day of her birthday. She finally had somewhere to belong, even. 

Anna supposed she’d go to college; it wasn’t like money was an obstacle. Study something she cared about, then spent her time finding ways to put the Arendelle fortune to work helping the LGBTQ community. What was the point of money if it just sat there? Elsa was happy to help, of course, but Anna wanted to take point. The project was her baby. She refused to be a rich demon that didn’t contribute anything productive to society. 

Anna felt euphoria swirling in her chest as the desert flew past her on all sides. She stole another glance at her Elsa, one hand on her head to keep her hat from blowing off in the wind. They’d spent a week on the coast of California, swimming in the sea and visiting some of Elsa’s friends. Demons, all of them, and good people, too. They went to zoos at night, ate everywhere they had time to. Each second with Elsa was a new adventure, and they could finally be together in the world, unafraid. Finding tricks that let Anna walk around in broad daylight was part of the fun; one time they’d put her in cloth attire that covered every inch of her skin and claimed it was performance art. The horn protrusion were just big headphones, really. 

Elsa was enamored with the landscape, smiling. Anna saw her chance to strike, and felt the mischief glint in her eye. “You know,” she said, trying her best to hide her own smile, “I think I’m scheduled to go into heat in about a week.” She’d checked her calendar, she’d done the calculations. She knew what it meant this time in particular. 

Elsa startled. “Wait, what?” A hot blush rose up her neck, “that’s when I have my heat!” 

Anna snickered. “I know. Surprise!” 

“Oh.” Elsa raised her hands to her mouth. “Oh, wow. We haven’t had it at the same time before, have we?”

“Nope!”

Elsa fidgeted, her eyes glazing over with thinly-concealed lust. “You know,” she said, “if we turn around now, we can take our time and still get to the beach house before then.” 

Anna grinned, and cranked the wheel around. She’d wanted to try this ever since Vanellope taught her how. Pull the parking break, she spun them around in a drift. Elsa howled with laughter, one hand on Anna’s shoulder as she held tight to her hat. Soon they were barreling down the road back towards the coast, hand in hand across their seats. 

Elsa couldn’t stop laughing. “Slow down, Anna, the sex will still be there if we drive the speed limit!” 

“Nah. I wanna make sure we have time to get burgers at that place we stopped at in San Francisco.”

“Ooh,” Elsa lit up, “good idea. Hey, uh,” she said, squeezing Anna’s hand and making the girl’s chest flutter, “I love you. Just FYI.” 

Anna purred, her throat rumbling. “I love you too!” 

They drove until the sun was going down in the sky. Bright pinks and purples plashed like paint across the expanse above. The wind turned cool, and Anna found harmony with Elsa as they sang “Right Round” at the top of their lungs. She loved her, and in that moment Anna knew it was a love that could last and evolve as they wandered through their adventure together. They’d been through hell already, right? And even if it ended someday, and they had to go their separate ways, it would still have been the thing her heart wanted most, and therefore the thing most worth making memories of. 

Anna kissed Elsa as the song ended, her hands steady on the wheel. Elsa’s lips tasted of roses and ice, and of home. In so many ways they were just starting out, and Anna couldn’t wait to see what was next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Curtain call.
> 
> That's it, fam. I never expected this fic to get this long or this involved, but frankly I probably should've known better. I really want to thank afterandalasia and supergamete for their insightful and engaging comments as I worked my way through this fic; your persistent feedback was a driving force in what allowed me to finish this thing as quick as I did (comment on fics, friends! It really does get the gears turning!).
> 
> I can't believe that when I started writing this, it was originally gonna be a fucking MAFIA thing, and that Elsa was gonna be the head of a crime family. How the tides change, eh (if you go back and read the first chapter without knowing about the coming demon stuff, it can still read like it was gonna lead into mafia stuff)? Still might write that story someday. 
> 
> Just. Thanks so much to everyone who read this far, I hope I've been able to entertain you and provide a fun, dramatic story that pulled at your heartstrings and made you go "awww!" I wrote this story chapter by chapter with only a loose idea of where things were exactly going to go next, and in that regard I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. Making stories is the most fun for me when I, as the writer, get to discover what happens alongside the readers. Just let it grow, ya feel? <3
> 
> I'd love to hear any final thoughts you all have. What did you think? I'm not sure exactly where I'm gonna go from here, but there will certainly be more Elsanna from me in the future. I hope this finds you all doing well, and in good spirits, friends. Life's tough, so let's all be gay demons instead. 
> 
> Cheers!


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